ISSN 2149-2263 | E-ISSN 2149-2271
The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology
Microvolt T-wave alternans profiles in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and a group of healthy volunteers [Anatol J Cardiol]
Anatol J Cardiol. 2016; 16(11): 825-830 | DOI: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2016.6668

Microvolt T-wave alternans profiles in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and a group of healthy volunteers

Ludmila Danilowicz-szymanowicz1, Ewa Lewicka1, Alicja Dabrowska-kugacka1, Agnieszka Niemirycz-makurat1, Joanna Kwiatkowska2, Zuzanna Lewicka-potocka1, Katarzyna Rozwadowska1, Emilia Stepnowska1, Grzegorz Raczak1
1Department of Cardiology and Electrotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk-Poland
2Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defect, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk-Poland

Objective: Microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) is a well-examined parameter for the risk stratification of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). However, the role of MTWA in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains obscure. Consequently, the present study aimed to analyze the profile of MTWA among PAH patients in comparison with LVD patients and healthy volunteers.
Methods: The prospectively study included 22 patients with PAH (mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥ 25 mm Hg and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure ≤15 mm Hg during right heart catheterization; mean age, 40±17 years); 24 with LVD [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%; mean age, 40±11 years]; and 28 healthy volunteers (mean age, 41±8 years). Patients with persistent atrial arrhythmia were excluded. The MTWA (spectral meth- od) categories were positive, negative, or indeterminate (MTWA_pos, MTWA_neg, or MTWA_ind, respectively). MTWA_pos and MTWA_ind were qualified as abnormal (MTWA_abn). Statistical analyses (Mann–Whitney U, chi-square with Yates’s correction, Fisher’s exact test) were performed. Results: PAH patients had higher LVEF than LVD patients (61±7% vs. 27±7%; p<0.05). MTWA_abn was observed more frequently in the PAH and LVD groups than in the healthy volunteers. Patients with PAH were characterized by a considerable percentage of MTWA_pos and MTWA_abn (59% and 73%, respectively), but this did not differ from LVD patients.
Conclusion: Patients with PAH are characterized by a high rate of MTWA abnormalities similar to LVD patients, despite the relevant differences in LVEF. Further research is required to elucidate the clinical significance and prognostic value of this data, particularly in the context of SCD- underlying mechanisms in PAH patients. (Anatol J Cardiol 2016; 16: 825-30)

Keywords: pulmonary arterial hypertension, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, microvolt T-wave alternans

Ludmila Danilowicz-szymanowicz, Ewa Lewicka, Alicja Dabrowska-kugacka, Agnieszka Niemirycz-makurat, Joanna Kwiatkowska, Zuzanna Lewicka-potocka, Katarzyna Rozwadowska, Emilia Stepnowska, Grzegorz Raczak. Microvolt T-wave alternans profiles in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and a group of healthy volunteers. Anatol J Cardiol. 2016; 16(11): 825-830

Corresponding Author: Ludmila Danilowicz-szymanowicz, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English


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