Selvester score predicts implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy

Background: The implantable cardiac defibrillator is the cornerstone of prevention of sudden cardiac death in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. The Selvester score, which is frequently investigated in ischemic cardiomyopathy, has not been investigated in the field of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Selvester score for determining appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator shocks in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. Materials and methods: In all, 131 non-ischemic cardiomyopathy patients were included in the study. A simplified Selvester score was calculated from ECG data. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they received ICD shock. Results: Of the patients, 28.2% received appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator shock. The Selvester score was significantly higher in patients receiving appropriate shock when compared to patients with no implantable cardiac defibrillator shocks (8.8 +/- 4.6 vs 7.2 +/- 3.3, P = .040). The median QRS duration was significantly longer in patients receiving appropriate shock than in patients with no shocks (130.14 +/- 35.08 ms vs 120.12 +/- 20.57 ms, P = .045). We determined that the cutoff value for the Selvester score to predict ICD shocks was 6.5 with a sensitivity of 72.0% and a specificity of 83% (AUC = 0.717; %95 GA: 0.627-0.807, P < .001). Conclusion: Selvester score was higher in patients receiving appropriate shock than in patients who did not receive any implantable cardiac defibrillator shock. From this study, the Selvester score is associated with the risk of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy so that careful attention is necessary to manage the patients with high Selvester score.