{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia requiring prompt Emergency Department (ED) assessment and management. However, data on its frequency, real-world treatment, and prognosis in the ED remain limited. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, acute management, and short- and long-term outcomes of patients presenting with VT. Methods: We retrospectively included consecutive patients presenting to the ED between January 2018 and December 2024 with a primary diagnosis of sustained VT with a pulse. We collected baseline characteristics, hemodynamic status, underlying cardiac disease, and acute treatment. In-hospital events and 30-day and 1-year outcomes were assessed. Results: A total of 103 patients were identified, accounting for approximately 0.025% of all ED visits during the study period; 84.5% were male. Chest pain (31.1%) and palpitations (25.2%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Structural heart disease was present in 90% of the cases, predominantly of ischemic origin (61%). Nearly half of the patients (49.5%) had a prior history of VT. Electrical cardioversion was performed in 28.2% of the cases. The majority of the patients (95/103; 92%) required hospitalization. Mortality was 4.9% at 30 days and 17% at 1 year. After adjustment for age, a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 30% and in-hospital arrhythmic recurrence were independently associated with 1-year mortality. Conclusions: Sustained VT is an uncommon but high-risk ED presentation, mainly affecting patients with ischemic structural heart disease. A discrepancy was observed between real-world clinical practice and guideline recommendations. The substantial mortality observed, particularly among patients with impaired left ventricular function or in-hospital arrhythmic recurrence, highlights the need for prompt risk stratification and optimized, guideline-concordant acute management.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Emergency Medicine Unit and Emergency Medicine Postgraduate Training Program, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy",
    "Division of Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy",
    "Division of Paediatric Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Francesco Salinaro",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6117-4392"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Pietro Begnini"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Roberto Rordorf",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4111-1690"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Santi Di Pietro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Benedetta Traversi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Debora Monti",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8925-2719"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Simone Dedato"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bruno Barcella",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9326-2602"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Enrico Moi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Maya Coridori"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Enrico Baldi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6360-224X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Simone Savastano",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9789-6661"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Rita Camporotondo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0346-5503"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Stefania Guida"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Leonardo De Luca",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8552-1272"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Stefano Perlini",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0320-8574"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3yh6x7t4qb1w4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/jcm15207805",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13704915/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "3yh6x7t4qb1w4",
  "issns": [
    "2077-0383"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7805",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2705|Cardiac Arrhythmias and Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221358031",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13704915/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13704915",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3yh6x7t4qb1w4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/jcm15207805",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7805"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:47Z",
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      "source": "europepmc",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2705|Cardiac Arrhythmias and Treatments",
      "subfield": "cardiovascular"
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  ],
  "title": "Management and Prognosis of Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective, Observational, Single-Centre Study",
  "title_text": "Management and Prognosis of Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective, Observational, Single-Centre Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3yh6x7t4qb1w4",
  "venue": "Journal of Clinical Medicine",
  "versions": []
}