Heart rate variability as predictor of atrial fibrillation in middle-aged population

Abstract

ventricular overload severity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods: We examined 120 PAH patients (23% males; age (mean ± SE) 39.5 ± 1.2 years). 120 healthy subjects (32% males; age 33.6 ± 0.9 years) comprised the control group. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) was calculated using Doppler echocardiography. Moderate PAH was defined as SPAP between 30–50 mm Hg; severe PAH as SPAP N50 mm Hg. Digital orthogonal electrocardiograms were recorded. We studied the magnitude G (in ms) and spatial components Gx, Gy, Gz of the “recovery acceleration” vector (directed to the left, inferior, and anterior). Results: In 30 patients with moderate PAH G, Gx and Gz were lower as compared with the normal group, and G, Gx and Gy were greater as compared with 90 patients with severe PAH. When used for discriminating between the moderate PAH and the normal group, Gz had an area under the ROC curve of 0.83, SE 0.05. The threshold Gz b10 ms provided 77% sensitivity and 83% specificity. For discriminating moderate and severe PAH, Gy had an area under the ROC curve of 0.87, SE 0.04. The threshold Gy b25 ms provided 82% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Gx and Gy had moderate correlation with SPAP (r = −0.5; p b 0.01). Conclusion: The use of decartographic parameters of repolarization may be helpful not only for detection of right ventricular overload in patients with PAH, but also for the assessment of its severity.