Clinical Profile and Mode of Initiation of Spontaneous Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients With Brugada Syndrome (START-BrS).

Milman A., Nademanee K., Kamakura T., Marcus G., Chimparlee N., Sukhabote K., Aiba T., Sieira J., de Asmundis C., Scrocco C., Martino A., Rajan D., Migliore F., Foltran D., Viskin D., Stuehlinger M., Garcia-Izquierdo E., Letsas KP., Peichl P., García Fernández FJ., Steinfurt J., Ormerod JOM., Schulze-Bahr E., Gourraud JB., Page SP., Porretta AP., Schär B., Conte G., Lustig P., Sarquella-Brugada G., Havranek S., Shauer A., Takagi M., Nam G-B., Chorin U., Laredo M., Martini N., Tfelt-Hansen J., Calò L., Behr ER., Pannone L., Kusano K., Belhassen B.

BACKGROUND: Data on the spontaneous onset of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs) in Brugada syndrome (BrS), including polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) and monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (MVT), remain limited. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare the clinical profile and mode of initiation of PVT and MVT in BrS. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter registry included 154 patients with BrS from 29 centers with documented VTA initiation captured by implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (94.9%) or electrocardiogram (5.1%). A total of 234 VTAs were analyzed, and initiation patterns were classified by using predefined electrocardiographic criteria. RESULTS: PVT was observed in 80.5% of patients, MVT in 16.9%, and both in 2.6%. Patients with MVT tended to be older, exhibit drug-induced Brugada electrocardiogram, and were more frequently White. Pause-dependent initiation occurred in approximately 25% of PVT and approximately 33% of MVT episodes. Coupling intervals initiating PVT were nonsignificantly shorter than for MVT (median 368 milliseconds vs 395 milliseconds), with a significantly lower prematurity index and faster early arrhythmia cycle length. Antecedent premature ventricular complexes were present in approximately 43% of both VTA types, commonly sharing morphology with the initiating premature ventricular complex. The prevalence of pathogenic/likely pathogenic SCN5A mutation did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this largest analysis to date of spontaneous VTA onset in BrS, MVT occurred in a substantial minority and was associated with older age, White ethnicity, drug-induced electrocardiogram pattern, and a preceding tachycardia. Initiation patterns were broadly similar across arrhythmia types, although PVT exhibited a significantly lower prematurity index and faster early cycle length despite only nonsignificant shorter coupling intervals. These findings refine the clinical and electrophysiological characterization of BrS-related arrhythmias and delineate distinct features of PVT and MVT initiation.

DOI

10.1016/j.jacep.2026.02.038

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2026-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

Keywords

Brugada syndrome, monomorphic VT, pause-dependent initiation, polymorphic VT, ventricular tachyarrhythmia initiation

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