title: Non-invasive electrocardiographic predictors of atrial arrhythmias in patients with the Fontan palliation.
abstract: Fontan palliation patients are at risk for atrial arrhythmias post-operatively. This study aimed to evaluate whether differences in depolarization vector magnitude or spatial P-R angle can reliably predict atrial arrhythmias in patients who had undergone Fontan palliation.
  
  
  
  A total of 115 patients who had Fontan palliation and post-Fontan catheterization were included. Atrial arrhythmias were identified in 14 patients. Measurements of ECG parameters including QRS vector magnitude, P-R duration, spatial QRS-T angle and spatial P-R angle were performed, and compared between those with and without atrial arrhythmias.
  
  
  
  Only the QRSvm independently differentiated those with and without atrial arrhythmias with multivariate HR of 0.743 (95% CI 0.581 to 0.951).
  
  
  
  In Fontan patients, the QRSvm was the only significant independent predictor of atrial arrhythmias.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA; Electrophysiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA; Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Dr.danielcortez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cortez
authors.affiliation: Electrophysiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Nandita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Electrophysiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Imundo
authors.affiliation: Electrophysiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D018729:Fontan Procedure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Atrial arrhythmias; Fontan; Vectorcardiography