Ventricular ectopic QRS interval may be useful post-MI marker
(HealthDay)—The ventricular ectopic QRS interval (VEQSI) can identify post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients with prior serious ventricular arrhythmia, according to a study published online June 1 in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.
Rachel Bastiaenen, Ph.D., from St. George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London, and colleagues analyzed 12-lead Holter recordings from 189 patients with previous MI: 38 with prior life threatening events (MI-VT/VF) and 151 without prior significant ventricular arrhythmia (MI-no VT/VF). Results were compared with those from 60 healthy controls. All ventricular ectopic beats (VEB) were reviewed; the duration of the longest VEB was recorded as VEQSI max.
The researchers found that VEQSI max was longer in post-MI patients than healthy controls, and in MI-VT/VF patients with prior life threatening events than in MI-no VT/VF patients without prior life threatening events (both P < 0.001). VEQSI max was established as the strongest independent marker for prior serious ventricular arrhythmia in multivariate analysis. For identifying patients with prior life threatening events, VEQSI max >198 ms had 86 percent sensitivity, 85 percent specificity, 62 percent positive predictive value, and 96 percent negative predictive value (odds ratio, 37.4).
"This may be a useful additional index for risk stratification in ischemic heart disease," the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to Boston Scientific and Medtronic; Boston Scientific partially funded the study.
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