PMID: 11926023Apr 3, 2002Paper

T-wave alternation: a new method for identifying patients at risk of malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia

Italian heart journal. Supplement : official journal of the Italian Federation of Cardiology
Roberto F E PedrettiDaniele Marangoni

Abstract

T wave alternans (TWA) is a change, in the microvolt range, of T wave amplitude on ABABAB sequence. TWA depends on heart rate, being optimally analyzed at a target frequency of 110 b/min. Initial studies used atrial pacing to reach the target frequency and reported a sensitivity and specificity of 89% for TWA in predicting tachyarrhythmic events. Subsequently, similar results were obtained using ergometric test to reach the target frequency, a less invasive and more "physiologic" approach to increase heart rate. This method became therefore the elective system to increase heart rate in order to evaluate the presence of TWA by means of spectral analysis. At present, various groups of high arrhythmic risk patients have been evaluated, including those with a recent myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, implantable cardiac defibrillator and clinical indication to programmed ventricular stimulation. In all clinical conditions analyzed, TWA analysis demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy, suggesting a possible clinical use of the test in these settings.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias are abnormalities in heart rhythms, which can be either too fast or too slow. They can result from abnormalities of the initiation of an impulse or impulse conduction or a combination of both. Here is the latest research on arrhythmias.

Related Papers

Giornale italiano di cardiologia : organo ufficiale della Federazione italiana di cardiologia : organo ufficiale della Società italiana di chirurgia cardiaca
Roberto F E PedrettiMario Salerno
Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
S H HohnloserR J Cohen
Current Opinion in Cardiology
Ahmed F Osman, Michael R Gold
Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal
Masahiko Takagi, Junichi Yoshikawa
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved