Assessing the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on ventricular tachyarrhythmia and survival in patients with ICDs: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Recent studies investigating the effects of fish oil on shocks administered by ICDs in patients with ventricular tachycardias produced inconclusive results. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in lowering the risk of life-threatening VTs among individuals with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Methods: We searched five databases, including Central, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus, for studies evaluating the efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for the prevention of ICD events for VT or VF, published up to December 1, 2023.

Results: Four trials were finally included in the study. The pooled risk ratios for mortality and ICD events were 0.87 (95% CI:0.58-1.32) and 0.75 (95% CI:0.48-1.18), respectively.

Conclusion: No significant effect was discovered to support the antiarrhythmic properties or survival advantages of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in individuals with implanted implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD).

Keywords: Fish oil; Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; Omega-3; Ventricular tachycardia.