Relation between the behaviors of P-wave and QT dispersions in elderly patients with heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relation between P-wave and QT dispersions in elderly patients with heart failure.


METHODS
Forty-seven elderly patients (75.6+/-6 years) with stable heart failure in NYHA functional classes II or III and with ejection fractions of 37+/-6% underwent body surface mapping to analyze P-wave and QT dispersions. The degree of correlation between P-wave and QT dispersions was assessed, and P-wave dispersion values in patients with QT dispersion greater than and smaller than 100 ms were compared.


RESULTS
The mean values of P-wave and QT dispersions were 54+/-14 ms and 68+/-27 ms, respectively. The correlation between the 2 variables was R=0.41 (p=0.04). In patients with QT dispersion values > 100 ms, P-wave dispersion was significantly greater than in those with QT dispersion values < 100 ms (58+/-16 vs 53+/-12 ms, p=0.04 ).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that, in elderly patients with heart failure, a correlation between the values of P-wave and QT dispersions exists. These findings may have etiopathogenic, pathophysiologic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications, which should be investigated in other studies.
Szlejf
Cláudia
C
Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas - FMUSP, São Paulo, Brazil. mauriciowa@hotmail.com.br
Rays
Jairo
J
Gebara
Otávio Celso Eluf
OC
Vieira
Núbia Welerson
NW
Pierri
Humberto
H
Nussbacher
Amit
A
Serro-Azul
João Batista
JB
Samesima
Nelson
N
Pastore
Carlos Alberto
CA
Wajngarten
Maurício
M
D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male