title: The association between T-wave morphology and life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whether T-wave morphology descriptors on the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) can predict the occurrence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in patients with advanced congestive heart failure is unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standard 12-lead ECGs were photoscanned and digitized for analysis in 27 heart failure patients with ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF; study group), as well as in 54 age- and sex-matched heart failure patients without life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia as a control group. Novel T-wave morphology descriptors were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the temporal descriptor, the lead dispersion (LD; 426.5 +/- 279.8 vs 189.0 +/- 125.7, P < 0.001), was significantly higher in the study than in the control group. The other T-wave morphology parameters, such as the T-wave morphology dispersion (45.7 +/- 20.1 vs 44.9 +/- 18.6), the total cosine between QRS and T wave (TCRT; -0.4 +/- 0.4 vs -0.5 +/- 0.3), and the normalized T-loop area (NTLA; 0.5 +/- 0.1 vs 0.4 +/- 0.1), were not significantly different between the two groups (all P value > 0.05). After an adjustment for other clinical variables, increased LD (odds ratio: 9.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9-33.4, P < 0.001) or decreased NTLA (odds ratio: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.1-1.0, P =0.05) was associated with VT/VF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel T-wave morphology analysis may help in identifying heart failure patients at high risk for VT/VF.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Lian-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ying-Shren
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jen-Kuang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yi-Lwun
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Lin-Chu
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Wen-Jone
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*