[Left ventricular diastolic function and ventricular arrhythmias in coronary heart disease]

In 70 patients suffering from coronary heart disease, to a large extent after myocardial infarction, left ventricular diastolic function was examined with a nuclear stethoscope using Peak Filling Rate (PFR) and Time to Peak Filling Rate (TPFR). Ventricular arrhythmias were recorded by 24-hour ECG and the arrhythmias were analyzed according to the Lown classification. The parameters severing the ventricular arrhythmias were correlated with the previously mentioned parameters of diastolic left ventricular function. A correlation was found between PFR and TPFR and the severity of ventricular arrhythmias, whereby the difference in the PFR between Lown classes 0 and III and also between 0 and IVa was statistically significant. For TPFR a statistically significant distribution could be found only between Lown 0 and III.