[Late potentials analysis in patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmia].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between late potentials and spontaneous ventricular arrhythmias, organic heart disease, inducibility of arrhythmias at electrophysiological study and ejection fraction.


METHODS
The population is comprised by 52 patients (41 men, 11 women with mean age 50 +/- 16 years) with spontaneous clinically documented ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. An electrophysiological study was performed with conventional programmed stimulation. Within a week of the test a study of late potentials was also performed.


RESULTS
Late potentials were documented in 73% of the patients with ventricular tachycardia and only in 17% of the patients with ventricular fibrillation. Sixty-eight percent of the patients with ischemic cardiopathy presented late potentials and in these, ventricular tachycardia was inducible in 93%. Only one from a group of 7 patients with ventricular arrhythmias and no organic heart disease, presented late potentials. In patients with late potentials, 84% have inducible ventricular tachycardia, but only 26% of patients without late potentials have inducible ventricular tachycardia. The incidence of late potentials was inversely correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of late potentials was more frequent in patients with ventricular tachycardia than in patients with ventricular fibrillation. The presence of late potentials has a sensibility of 81.5% and a specificity of 78% to detect patients with inducible ventricular tachycardia.
Lage
J S
JS
Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Unidad de Arritmias, Madrid, España.
Hernández Madrid
A
A
Marín-Huerta
E
E
Novo Valledor
L
L
Mestre
J L
JL
Ricoy Martínez
E
E
Moro Serrano
C
C
D000200:Action Potentials; D000328:Adult; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*
Análise de potenciais tardios em pacientes com arritmias ventriculares malignas.