Introduction: Perioperative management of advanced patients with indication to ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation is complex. A PAINESD score ≥ 15 was proposed to identify those who might benefit from pre-emptive mechanical cardiopulmonary support (MCS). We present a case successfully managed with continuous percutaneous left stellate ganglion block (C-PLSGB).
Case: A 71-year-old diabetic man with severe post-ischemic cardiomyopathy (LVEF 24%, NYHA Class III) and chronic pulmonary disease was admitted for electrical storm with multiple ICD shocks due to poorly tolerated monomorphic VT (MMVT) at 176 bpm resistant to anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP), despite ongoing chronic oral therapy with amiodarone and carvedilol. Poorly tolerated and ATP-resistant MMVTs at 170-180 bpm recurred despite intravenous (iv) amiodarone and lidocaine (20 mcg/kg/min) and oral propranolol. Ultrasound guided C-PLSGB was therefore started; lidocaine was chosen for the continuous infusion due to the short half-life, at the initial dose of 10 mg/h; 6 hours later, his poorly tolerated MMVT recurred at 167 bpm. Therefore, at first we increased iv lidocaine to 30 mcg/kg/min, without benefit, then we increased C-PLSGB at 37.5 mg/h and decreased iv lidocaine to 20 mcg/kg/min due to neurological symptoms. With this regimen, the patient stayed VT free for 2 hours, then the clinical VT recurred at 130 bpm, with good hemodynamic tolerability and ATP-response. C-PLSGB infusion was than increased to 75 mg/h, with no more VT. Endocardial VT ablation was planned. Despite a very high PAINESD score (31) we decided to avoid pre-emptive MCS. We stopped lidocaine (both iv and as C-PLSGB) 2 hours before ablation. As soon as the patient came in the EP room (before instrumentation), the clinical MMVT recurred at 133 bpm. C-PLSGB was then resumed (initially at 100 mg/h for 30 minutes, then at 37.5 mg/h). The MMVT then spontaneously recurred at 133 bpm: it was mapped and ablated in the medio-apical anterior wall, with acute VT interruption. A second VT morphology then appeared, that was mapped and ablated at a more basal site, despite a partial epicardial component of the circuit was identified. C-PLSGB was then stopped and no more VT occurred nor were induced 1 hour later. At 8 months the patient is still alive with no more VT.
Conclusion: C-PLSGB with individually tailored infusion rates could be used during VT ablation as a mean to reduce VT cycle length and allow for mapping without MCS.