Volume 35, Issue 1 pp. 206-213
REVIEW

Cardiac stereotactic radiation therapy for refractory ventricular arrhythmias in patients with left ventricular assist devices

Karim Benali MD

Corresponding Author

Karim Benali MD

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Saint-Etienne University Hospital Center, Saint-Etienne, France

Department of Signal Analysis, IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modelling Institute, Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France

LTSI-UMR 1099, Rennes, France

Correspondence Karim Benali, MD, Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart modeling Institute, Bordeaux, F-33400, France.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Michael S. Lloyd MD

Michael S. Lloyd MD

Department of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Andranik Petrosyan MD, PhD

Andranik Petrosyan MD, PhD

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Saint-Etienne University Hospital Center, Saint-Etienne, France

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Louis Rigal MD

Louis Rigal MD

Department of Signal Analysis, IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modelling Institute, Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France

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Magali Quivrin MD

Magali Quivrin MD

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Georges Francois Leclerc, Dijon, France

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Igor Bessieres MD, PhD

Igor Bessieres MD, PhD

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Georges Francois Leclerc, Dijon, France

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Konstantinos Vlachos MD

Konstantinos Vlachos MD

LTSI-UMR 1099, Rennes, France

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Nefissa Hammache MD

Nefissa Hammache MD

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Nancy University Hospital Center, Nancy, France

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Julien Bellec MD, PhD

Julien Bellec MD, PhD

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes, France

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Antoine Simon MD, PhD

Antoine Simon MD, PhD

Department of Signal Analysis, IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modelling Institute, Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France

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Gabriel Laurent MD, PhD

Gabriel Laurent MD, PhD

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Dijon University Hospital Center, Dijon, France

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Kristin Higgins

Kristin Higgins

Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Fabien Garnier MD

Fabien Garnier MD

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Dijon University Hospital Center, Dijon, France

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Renaud de Crevoisier MD, PhD

Renaud de Crevoisier MD, PhD

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes, France

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Raphaël Martins MD, PhD

Raphaël Martins MD, PhD

Department of Signal Analysis, IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modelling Institute, Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Rennes University Hospital Center, Rennes, France

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Antoine Da Costa MD, PhD

Antoine Da Costa MD, PhD

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Saint-Etienne University Hospital Center, Saint-Etienne, France

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Charles Guenancia MD, PhD

Charles Guenancia MD, PhD

Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes, France

PEC 2 EA 7460, University of Burgundy and Franche-Comté, Dijon, France

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First published: 29 November 2023

Disclosures: None.

Abstract

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is an established treatment for patients with advanced heart failure refractory to medical therapy. However, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) is high in this population, both in the acute and delayed phases after implantation. About one-third of patients implanted with an LVAD will experience sustained VAs, predisposing these patients to worse outcomes and complicating patient management. The combination of pre-existing myocardial substrate and complex electrical remodeling after LVAD implantation account for the high incidence of VAs observed in this population. LVAD patients presenting VAs refractory to antiarrhythmic therapy and catheter ablation procedures are not rare. In such patients, treatment options are extremely limited. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a technique that delivers precise and high doses of radiation to highly defined targets, reducing exposure to adjacent normal tissue. Cardiac SBRT has recently emerged as a promising alternative with a growing number of case series reporting the effectiveness of the technique in reducing the VA burden in patients with arrhythmias refractory to conventional therapies. The safety profile of cardiac SBRT also appears favorable, even though the current clinical experience remains limited. The use of cardiac SBRT for the treatment of refractory VAs in patients implanted with an LVAD are even more scarce. This review summarizes the clinical experience of cardiac SBRT in LVAD patients and describes technical considerations related to the implementation of the SBRT procedure in the presence of an LVAD.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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