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Background The prognostic implications of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) and their significance as therapeutic targets in patients without prior sustained ventricular arrhythmias remain undetermined. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of asymptomatic NSVT in patients who had primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation due to ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM, NICM). Methods We enrolled 157 consecutive primary prevention ICD patients without previous appropriate ICD therapy (AIT). Patients were allocated to two groups depending on the presence or absence of NSVT in a 6-month period prior to enrollment. The incidence of AIT and unplanned hospitalization due to decompensated heart failure (HF) were assessed during follow-up. Results In 51 patients (32%), precedent NSVT was documented. During a median follow-up of 1011 days, AIT occurred in 36 patients (23%) and unplanned HF hospitalization was observed in 32 patients (20%). In precedent NSVT patients, the incidence of AIT and unplanned HF hospitalization was significantly higher as compared to patients without precedent NSVT (AIT: 29/51 [57%] vs. 7/106 [7%], P P = 0.043, log-rank). Cox-regression demonstrated that precedent NSVT independently predicted AIT (P P P = 0.020), but predicted HF hospitalization only in patients with ICM (P = 0.0030). Conclusions Precedent non-sustained VT in patients with primary prevention ICDs is associated with subsequent appropriate ICD therapies, and is an independent predictor of unplanned heart failure hospitalizations in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.