Increased Incidence of Tachyarrhythmias and Heart Failure Hospitalization in Patients With Implanted Cardiac Devices After the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

Makoto Nakano; Masateru Kondo; Yuji Wakayama; Akiko Kawana; Yuhi Hasebe; Mohamed Abdel Shafee; Koji Fukuda; Hiroaki Shimokawa

doi:10.1253/circj.CJ-12-0261

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Increased Incidence of Tachyarrhythmias and Heart Failure Hospitalization in Patients With Implanted Cardiac Devices After the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

Makoto Nakano, Masateru Kondo, Yuji Wakayama, Akiko Kawana, Yuhi Hasebe, Mohamed Abdel Shafee, Koji Fukuda, Hiroaki Shimokawa

Author information

Makoto Nakano
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Masateru Kondo
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Yuji Wakayama
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Akiko Kawana
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Yuhi Hasebe
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Mohamed Abdel Shafee
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Koji Fukuda
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Hiroaki Shimokawa
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Keywords: Arrhythmias, Cardiac implantable devices, Heart failure, The Great East Japan Earthquake

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Supplementary material

2012 Volume 76 Issue 5 Pages 1283-1285

DOI https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-12-0261

View "Advance Publication" version (April 11, 2012).

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Abstract

Background: After the East Japan Earthquake disaster there may have been a deterioration of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Methods and Results: We examined the data from 189 consecutive patients implanted with cardiovascular devices for the 6-month period before and after the Earthquake. In 170 patients with defibrillators, the number who experienced tachyarrhythmias increased significantly after the Earthquake (28±5 vs. 34±3 patients/month, P<0.05). In 74 patients with biventricular pacemakers, the number of heart failure hospitalizations significantly increased after the Earthquake (1.2±1.0 vs. 2.7±1.2 patients/month, P<0.05). Conclusions: The East Japan Earthquake disaster unfavorably affected patients implanted with defibrillators or biventricular pacemakers. (Circ J 2012; 76: 1283-1285)

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