Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesMeta-analysis
Incidence and predictors of major arrhythmic events after myocarditis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
- meta-regression
Authors' conclusion
The incidence of MAEs after a complicated acute myocarditis can be high over time.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with myocarditis (71% male, 67% acute, 88% complicated)
- Participants
- 3,954 patients · 19 observational studies
- Outcome
- Incidence of major arrhythmic events (MAEs: SCD, VF, aborted cardiac arrest, sustained VT, appropriate ICD/WCD intervention) after discharge
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
MAEs during follow-up · median follow-up 24 months (IQR 19-57)
Major arrhythmic events (MAEs) during follow-up
28%
Median time to MAE presentation
12 months
Further pooled results
Components of MAEs
- Sustained VT
- 22%
- Aborted cardiac arrest/ventricular fibrillation (VF)
- 6%
- Appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)/wearable-cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) intervention
- 20%
- Sudden cardiac death (SCD)
- 1%
All-cause mortality or heart transplantation
- Combined rate
- 11%
Predictors of MAEs (meta-regression)
- High-grade AV block, MAEs at presentation and fulminant myocarditis associated with higher risk; male gender protective
Original publication
Incidence and predictors of major arrhythmic events after myocarditis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Europace. Published 5 May 2026. doi:10.1093/europace/euag102
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it