Ultra Short Heart Rate Variability Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Patients with a Clinical Presentation Consistent...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Prognosis for myocarditis is highly variable, necessitating new prognostic markers.
• The predictive value of ultra-short heart-rate variability (HRV) in myocarditis is currently unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prognostic role of ultra-short heart-rate variability (HRV) in predicting short-term severe complications of myocarditis.
• To assess HRV indices, including SDNN and RMSSD, as predictors of heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, ventricular arrhythmia, and death.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 115 adult patients with clinically suspected myocarditis.
• Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis were used to evaluate HRV parameters (SDNN, RMSSD) as predictors.
• Severe short-term complications included heart failure (HF), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), ventricular arrhythmia (VA), and death.

Main Results:

• RMSSD < 10.72 ms was a significant predictor for severe heart failure (AOR 14.056, AUC 86%) and dilated cardiomyopathy (AOR 8.826, AUC 82%).
• HRV did not demonstrate predictive capability for ventricular arrhythmia or mortality.
• The study identified specific HRV thresholds for predicting adverse outcomes in myocarditis.

Conclusions:

• Ultra-short heart-rate variability, particularly RMSSD, shows potential as a valuable prognostic indicator in myocarditis.
• RMSSD < 10.72 ms may identify patients at increased risk for developing heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy.
• Further research into HRV could enhance clinical management and risk stratification for myocarditis patients.