The prognostic significance of very low frequency ventricular ectopic activity in survivors of acute myocardial infarction. BHAT Study Group.
Survivors of myocardial infarction with less than 2 PVC/h on 24-h ambulatory electrocardiography were followed up for an average of 25 months (11 to 40 months) while receiving a placebo (1,222 patients) or propranolol, 180 or 240 mg/day (1,234 patients). Three quarters of the participants with PVCs had an average of less than 2 PVC/h. Only 16 percent did not have any ventricular ectopic activity during the 24 h. Analysis of total mortality according to the number of premature ventricular complexes per hour showed that patients who had PVCs with a very low frequency (less than 0.5/h) had 49 percent higher mortality than patients who did not have any PVC. Patients who had greater than 0.5 PVC/h but less than 1 PVC/h had a statistically significant higher mortality rate, 11.7 vs 4.1 percent (p less than 0.0001) than patients who had no PVC. These data indicate that low ventricular ectopic activity frequency is associated with increased mortality in survivors of acute myocardial infarction.
Wilson
A C
AC
Department of Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08901.
Kostis
J B
JB
D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D011433:Propranolol