Early Repolarization Pattern and Idiopatic Sustained Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia: an Infrequent Combination

Malignant early repolarization as cause of sudden death has taken on great importance in recent years. It has been described as an entity capable of producing ventricular arrhythmic events, causing from episodes of syncope to sudden cardiac death. Ventricular fibrillation is the typical arrhythmia in these patients, with no clear relationship to date with idiopathic monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Electrocardiographic markers related to the development of arrhythmic events in early repolarization syndrome have been described. They seem not only related to the development of ventricular fibrillation, but also to sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, as is the case described in the article.

Electrocardiographic markers of incident atrial fibrillation in patients with cryptogenic stroke

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Prolonged screening of AF in patients (pts) with cryptogenic stroke (CS) is recommended and electrocardiographic markers of atrial remodeling, like p-wave dispersion, have been described in literature. Electrocardiographic changes in pts with CS to predict AF in the follow up are not well-established. Purpose To identify ECG predictors of AF in a subset of pts with cryptogenic stroke. Methods We prospectively included consecutive pts admitted with CS. A surface 12-lead ECG was performed at admission, recorded at 25 mm/second and 10 mV/cm with commercially available imaging system. P-wave analysis of maximum (P max) and minimum (P min) duration, p-wave dispersion (PWD, defined as the difference between the P max and P min, being abnormal if > 40 msec) and amplitude were evaluated by a two independent operator. P-wave axis was determined by an automated mode available in the equipment. ROC curve was analyzed to determine the optimal cut-off values. Results We enrolled 105 pts (55.2% males), with mean age of 68.18 ± 8.83 years, 79% had hypertension, 18.1% had diabetes, 44.8% with dyslipidemia, 21% current smokers. During follow up period, 18 pts (17.1%) developed AF. We found that only PWD (AUC 0.706, IC95%: 0.564-0.848, p = 0.006) and P-wave axis (AUC 0.715, IC95%: 0.870-0.860, p = 0.004) were strong predictors of AF. PWD cut-off of 47.50 presented a sensitivity of 77.8% and specificity of 59.8% and P-wave axis cut off value of 75.50 had a specificity of 95.4%. Age (p = 0.032) and current smoking (p = 0.014) were associated with occurrence of AF during the follow up. Conclusion: PWD and P-wave axis predicted incident AF in this subset of pts with cryptogenic stroke. The ECG may be a toll to identify pts at risk of developing AF, although larger studies are needed to confirm these results. Abstract Figure.

Arrhythmia Risk Profile and Ventricular Repolarization Indices in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Several electrocardiographic markers have been used to predict the risk of arrhythmia in patients with COVID-19. We aim to investigate the electrocardiographic (ECG) ventricular repolarization indices in patients with COVID-19. Methodology: We performed a comprehensive systematic literature search from PubMed, EuropePMC, SCOPUS, Cochrane Central Database, and Google Scholar Preprint Servers. The primary endpoints of this search were: Tp-e (T-peak-to-T-end) interval, QTd (QT dispersion), and Tp-e/QTc ratio in patients with newly diagnosed COVID-19 from inception up until August 2020. Results: There were a total of 241 patients from 2 studies. Meta-analysis showed that Tp-e/QTc ratio was higher in COVID-19 group (mean difference 0.02 [0.01, 0.02], p < 0.001; I2: 18%,). Tp-e interval was more prolonged in COVID-19 group (mean difference 7.76 [3.11, 12.41], p < 0.001; I2: 80%) compared to control group. QT dispersion (QTd) also was increased in COVID-19 group (mean difference 1.22 [0.61, 1.83], p < 0.001 ; I2:30%). Conclusions: Several electrocardiographic markers including Tp-e/QTc, Tp-e interval, and QTd are significantly increased in patients with COVID-19.