Ventricular premature beats and mortality of men with coronary heart disease

Circulation
|December 1, 1975
PubMed

Insights

Longer electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring detects more ventricular premature beats (VPB) in men with coronary heart disease, identifying a higher-risk group. This improved detection correlates with increased mortality, even when routine ECGs miss the ectopic activity.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Clinical Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Coronary heart disease (CHD) poses significant mortality risks.
  • Ventricular premature beats (VPB) are potential indicators of cardiac risk.
  • Routine electrocardiogram (ECG) may underestimate the prevalence of VPB.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency and characteristics of VPB in men with CHD.
  • To assess the relationship between VPB detection and mortality.
  • To compare the diagnostic yield of prolonged ECG monitoring versus routine ECG.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 1-hour ECG monitoring in 924 men with CHD.
  • Correlation of VPB presence and frequency with mortality data.
  • Comparison of findings with results from standard 12-lead ECGs.

Main Results:

  • Prolonged ECG monitoring identified ectopic activity in 52% of men, compared to 15% with routine ECG.
  • Men with VPB during monitoring exhibited higher mortality than those without.
  • Mortality risk was elevated in men with ≥10 VPB/hour, irrespective of routine ECG findings.

Conclusions:

  • Extended ECG monitoring is superior to routine ECG for detecting VPB in CHD patients.
  • VPB identified through longer monitoring are associated with increased mortality.
  • Routine ECG may miss significant VPB, underestimating cardiac risk in CHD populations.

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