title: Relation between the behaviors of P-wave and QT dispersions in elderly patients with heart failure.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas - FMUSP, São Paulo, Brazil. mauriciowa@hotmail.com.br
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szlejf
authors.forename: Jairo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rays
authors.forename: Otávio Celso Eluf
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Gebara
authors.forename: Núbia Welerson
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pierri
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nussbacher
authors.forename: João Batista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Serro-Azul
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Samesima
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: Maurício
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wajngarten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male