[Late potentials, myocardial kinetics and ventricular vulnerability as markers of sudden death after myocardial infarct]

Abstract

The 1st myocardial infarction requires the identification of patients who are at high risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Our study group included 55 consecutive patients (age less than 70): all had non-invasive "signal averaging" recording and 24 hour dynamic electrocardiogram at the post-acute phase of their 1st myocardial infarction (MI) and 3 months later. Wall motion abnormalities were evaluated in each patient but two. 24 randomized patients (without documented sustained ventricular tachycardia) underwent right programmed ventricular stimulation at the 3rd month after MI and pathological repetitive responses were evaluated (Table III); they were hemodynamically stable and without persistent ischemia. Late potentials have been compared to spontaneous and induced ventricular arrhythmias, wall motion abnormalities (Table II) and two-year follow-up (Table VI), in order to identify predictive markers of sudden death or malignant arrhythmias. Ventricular late potentials were identified in 28 patients (51%) 4-8 days after MI: mean duration was equal to 75 +/- 33 msec; they did not show any relationship to the site (Table I) and to the extension of necrosis (Table II). Ventricular late potentials had no significant association with myocardial dyskinesia (Table II) while their association with complex ventricular arrhythmias, detected on Holter monitoring within 8 days after MI, and with the induction of repetitive ventricular responses (greater than or equal to 2 complexes) showed significant correlations (respectively p = 0.02; p = 0.01). In regard of the recognition of spontaneous ventricular tachycardia (greater than or equal to 3 complexes) in the follow-up, the detection of late potentials showed 75% sensibility with predictive value equal to 32% (Table V); the combination of late potentials and ventricular dyskinesia exhibited the highest specificity (88%) and predictive value (54%). By the end of follow-up there had been 6 cardiac deaths (2 sudden, 4 from left ventricular failure): late potentials longer than 75 msec were recorded in all patients who had cardiac death; in the post acute phase of MI repetitive ventricular arrhythmias were detected in only 1 of the 2 case of sudden cardiac death and in none of the patients who developed sustained ventricular tachycardia in the follow-up (Table VI). Myocardial dyskinesia was present in each patient who developed non sudden cardiac death (Table VI).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)