title: Comparison of the predictive characteristics of heart rate variability index and left ventricular ejection fraction for all-cause mortality, arrhythmic events and sudden death after acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: Heart rate (HR) variability index and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) were compared for the prediction of all-cause mortality, arrhythmic events and sudden death in 385 survivors of acute myocardial infarction. For arrhythmic events, where, for a sensitivity of 75%, HR variability index had a specificity of 76%, EF had a specificity of only 45%. An EF of less than or equal to 40% had a sensitivity of 42% and a specificity of 75% for arrhythmic events; for the same sensitivity an HR variability index of 20 U had a specificity of 92%. An EF less than or equal to 40% had a sensitivity of 40% and a specificity of 73% for sudden death; HR variability index had a specificity of 83% for the same sensitivity. For all cause mortality, where, for a sensitivity of 75%, HR variability index had a specificity of 52%, EF had a specificity of 40%. It is concluded that HR variability index appears a better predictor of important postinfarction arrhythmic complications than left ventricular EF, but both indexes perform equally well in predicting all-cause mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiological Sciences, St. George's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Odemuyiwa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poloniecki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003645:Death, Sudden; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015635:Radionuclide Ventriculography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*