[Prospects for using non-invasive diagnostic techniques for assessment of cardiac rhythm variability in coronary...

The aim of the study was to evaluate dynamics of heart rhythm variability (HRV during a1, b1, and b2-adrenoblockade by carvedilol in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and recurrent angina pectoris treated by endovascular revascularization. The study included 39 men (mean age 57.5 +/- 0.8 years) who underwent stenting of coronary arteries (CA) 6 month or more before the study. For the purpose of analysis, patients with CA restenosis were allocated to group 1 (n = 17), those without restenosis or complaining of chest discomfort in the absence of restenosis during repeated coronaroventriculography comprised group 2 (n = 22). Patients having no complaints were followed up by coronarography 1 year after stenting. HRV was estimated from the analysis of short (15 min) fragments of the standard ECG obtained in the basal state and during a1, b1, b2-blockade by carvedilol (mean dose 22.88 +/- 2.1 mg/day) for 2 weeks. Carvedilol blockade of a1, b1, b2-adrenoreceptors following coronary stenting significantly improved both temporal and spectral components of HRV. This improvement may serve as an independent marker of revascularization efficiency and an earlier predictor of coronary restenosis or reflect progress of the atherosclerotic process in native arteries.