Cerebral Palsy

Aims. To assess the association of electrocardiographic repolarization and depolarization patterns to vulnerability to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Methods. In the present case-control study, a 12-lead ECG, signal-averaged ECG (SAECG), T-wave and QRS morphology, and T-wave alternans (TWA) were analyzed in post-MI patients with and without documented sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or fibrillation (VF) (VT/VF group, n = 40, Non-VT/VF group, n = 37, respectively) and healthy subjects (n = 41). Results. The QRS complex duration, measured from standard ECG (128+/-32 ms vs. 102+/-21 ms, p < 0.001) or SAECG (125+/-25 ms vs. 99+/-20 ms, p < 0.001), was significantly longer in the VT/VF than Non-VT/VF group. Several T-wave morphology variables, e.g., the total cosine of the angle between the main vectors of T-wave and QRS loops (TCRT), were different in the VT/VF (-0.13+/-0.58) and Non-VT/VF group (-0.11+/-0.48) compared to the healthy controls (0.47+/-0.50, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in any of the T-wave morphology variables including TWA between the two post-MI groups. Conclusion. Abnormalities in ventricular depolarization are more common among post-MI patients with prior VT/VF than in those without documented ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Abnormal T-wave morphology and TWA seem to reflect the heart disease rather than specifically vulnerability to VT/VF.