Eisenmenger syndrome: identifying the clues for arrhythmia
Evren Semizel1, Dursun Alehan, Sema Ozer
1Cardiology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey. evsem1@yahoo.co.uk
Summary
Children with Eisenmenger syndrome show increased arrhythmia risk due to higher QT dispersion and impaired heart rate variability. These noninvasive markers indicate a greater tendency towards arrhythmias in this patient group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Eisenmenger syndrome is a complex congenital heart defect with significant cardiovascular implications.
- Assessing arrhythmia risk in pediatric patients with Eisenmenger syndrome is crucial for management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate arrhythmia tendency in children with Eisenmenger syndrome using noninvasive markers.
- To evaluate QT dispersion and heart rate variability (HRV) as indicators of arrhythmia risk.
Main Methods:
- A case-controlled, cross-sectional study involving 23 children with Eisenmenger syndrome and 20 healthy controls.
- Utilized electrocardiography for QT dispersion, Holter monitoring, echocardiography, and HRV analysis.
- Calculated pulmonary-to-systemic resistance ratio and analyzed catheterization records.
Main Results:
- Patients with Eisenmenger syndrome exhibited significantly higher QT dispersion and longer PR intervals compared to controls.
- Significantly lower HRV parameters (low, high, very low frequency, and total power) were observed in the Eisenmenger syndrome group.
- A positive correlation was found between QT dispersion and pulmonary-to-systemic resistance ratio.
Conclusions:
- Increased repolarization dispersion and impaired autonomic modulation of heart rate are characteristic of Eisenmenger syndrome.
- These findings suggest a heightened risk of arrhythmia in children with Eisenmenger syndrome.
- Noninvasive markers like QT dispersion and HRV are valuable in assessing arrhythmia risk.
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