Autonomic nerve activity and the short-term variability of the Tpeak-Tend interval in dogs with pacing-induced heart failure.
BACKGROUND
In congestive heart failure (CHF), autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity is known to modulate arrhythmic risk through its effects on myocardial repolarization. An increased interval between the peak and the end of the T wave (T(peak)-T(end)) has been reported to increase the incidence of sudden cardiac death. However, the ANS influence on the T(peak)-T(end) interval remains unclear.


OBJECTIVE
We directly measured ANS nerve activity in ambulatory dogs with pacing-induced CHF to test the hypothesis that ANS activity modulates the T(peak)-T(end) variability index (T(peak)-T(end)VI), the short-term variability of the T(peak)-T(end) interval obtained on 30 beats (T(peak)-T(end)STV(30)), and the short-term variability of the T(peak)-T(end) interval obtained on 5-minute ECG recording (T(peak)-T(end)STV(T)).


METHODS
By using data previously recorded in 6 ambulatory dogs before and after pacing-induced CHF, we assessed ANS activity recorded with an implanted radiotransmitter that monitored integrated left stellate ganglion nervous activity (iSGNA), integrated vagus nerve activity (iVNA), and electrocardiogram (ECG). We selected for analysis 36 segments recorded at baseline and 36 after pacing-induced CHF with similar iSGNA.


RESULTS
During CHF, T(peak)-T(end)STV(30) (P<.001) and T(peak)-T(end)STV(T) (P<.05) were significantly higher than those at baseline. The multiple linear mixed regression analysis disclosed a significant positive correlation between iSGNA and T(peak)-T(end)STV(T) (baseline: β 2.92, P<.001; CHF: β 1.13, P<.001) and a significant negative correlation between iVNA and T(peak)-T(end)STV(T) (baseline: β-6.74, P<.001; CHF: β-1.42, P< .001).


CONCLUSIONS
In a canine model of pacing-induced CHF, iSGNA correlates positively while iVNA correlates negatively with T(peak)-T(end)STV(T). These findings suggest that SGNA increases while VNA decreases the dispersion of ventricular repolarization in ambulatory dogs with CHF.
Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Respiratorie, Anestesiologiche, Nefrologiche e Geriatriche, Policlinico Umberto I, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. gianfranco.piccirillo@uniroma1.it
Gianfranco
G
Piccirillo
Damiano
D
Magrì
Maria A
MA
Pappadà
Antonello
A
Maruotti
Masahiro
M
Ogawa
Seongwook
S
Han
Boyoung
B
Joung
Pietro
P
Rossi
Bich Lien
BL
Nguyen
Shien-Fong
SF
Lin
Peng-Sheng
PS
Chen
D000818:Animals; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*