[Supraventricular hyperkinetic arrhythmias in acute myocardial infarct: their prognostic assessment and correlation...

To assess the prognostic significance of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTA) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI), we studied 388 patients with first AMI, without ventricular preexcitation or chronic atrial fibrillation. The prevalence of SVTA was 14% (56/388), including atrial fibrillation (57%), atrial flutter (22%), polyfocal atrial tachycardia (14%), monofocal atrial tachycardia (7%). The arrhythmia appeared within 72 hours from the onset of chest pain in 61% of patients (early SVTA < 72 hours), while in 39% appeared later (late SVTA > 72 hours). Patients with SVTA (Group I n = 56) and without SVTA (Group II n = 232) were similar regarding prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, site of infarction and fibrinolysis, but SVTA was associated with a significant increase in death (Group I 18% versus Group II 9%; p < 0.05) and complications as pulmonary oedema and cardiogenic shock (Group I 25% versus Group II 14%; p < 0.05). Left atrial dimensions (LAD), end-diastolic left ventricular volume (EDLVV), end-systolic left ventricular volume (ESLVV) and echo-score, evaluated at admission, were not different between Group I and II (LAD 41.3 +/- 6 mm versus 40.1 +/- 5 mm, NS; EDLVV 181 +/- 34 ml versus 173 +/- 30 ml, NS; ESLVV 80 +/- 21 ml versus 75 +/- 18 ml, NS; echo-score 6.7 +/- 3.1 versus 6 +/- 2.7, NS) while pre-discharge echo-grams in Group I showed a trend towards the increase in volumes and echo-score (EDLVV from 181 +/- 34 ml to 194 +/- 36 ml, p = 0.052; ESLVV from 80 +/- 23 ml to 88 +/- 23 ml, p = 0.051; echo-score from 6.7 +/- 3.1 to 7.8 +/- 3.3, p = 0.070).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)