OBJECTIVE: To investigate a potential relationship between implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapies and daily geomagnetic activity (GMA) recorded in a large database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ALTITUDE database, derived from the Boston Scientific LATITUDE remote monitoring system, was retrospectively analyzed for the frequency of ICD therapies. Daily GMA was expressed as the planetary K-index and the integrated A-index and was graded as levels I (quiet), II (unsettled), III (active), and IV (storm). RESULTS: A daily mean ± SD of 59,468±11,397 patients were monitored between January 1, 2009, and May 15, 2012. The distribution of days according to GMA was as follows: level I, 924/1231 (75%); level II, 226/1231 (18%); level III, 60/1231 (5%); and level IV, 21/1231 (2%). The daily mean ± SD numbers of ICD shocks received per 1000 active patients in the database were 1.29±0.47, 1.17±0.46, 1.03±0.37, and 0.94±0.29 on level I, II, III, and IV days, respectively; the daily mean ± SD sums of shocks and antitachycardia pacing therapies were 9.29±2.86, 8.46±2.45, 7.92±1.80, and 7.83±2.28 on quiet, unsettled, active, and storm days, respectively. A significant inverse relationship between GMA and frequency of ICD therapies was identified, with the most pronounced difference between level I and level IV days (P<.001 for shocks; P=.008 for shocks + antitachycardia pacing). CONCLUSION: In a large-scale cohort analysis, ICD therapies were delivered less frequently on days of higher GMA, confirming the previous pilot data and suggesting that higher GMA does not pose an increased risk of arrhythmias using ICD therapies as a surrogate marker. Further studies are needed to gain an in-depth understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Ondrejov

Boston Scientific St Paul MN

Department of Internal Medicine Hospital Frýdek Místek Frýdek Místek Czech Republic

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Rochester MN

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Rochester MN; Department of Medical Sciences Division of Cardiology Città della Salute e della Scienza University of Turin Turin Italy

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Rochester MN; Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Mayo Clinic Rochester MN

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Rochester MN; International Clinical Research Center St Anne's University Hospital Brno Czech Republic

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute Charlotte NC

Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Jun;90(6):844 PubMed

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