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High prevalence of repolarization abnormalities in children with simple ventricular ectopy
D E Miga1, C L Case, P C Gillette
1South Carolina Children's Heart Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
Clinical Cardiology
|September 1, 1996
Summary
Children with benign premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) often show repolarization abnormalities on ECGs. These findings suggest potential underlying substrate issues in pediatric patients with ventricular ectopy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Cardiac Repolarization
Background:
- Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) occur in 0.3-2.2% of pediatric ECGs in children with normal hearts.
- Benign ventricular ectopy is common in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if repolarization abnormalities are more frequent in pediatric patients with benign ventricular ectopy.
- Investigate the association between benign PVCs and ECG repolarization markers.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of ECGs from 32 children with benign ventricular ectopy and normal hearts.
- Analysis focused on repolarization abnormalities: prolonged QTc, prolonged JTc, and abnormal T-wave vector.
- Comparison with age- and gender-matched controls.
Main Results:
- 44% of children with benign PVCs exhibited repolarization abnormalities (prolonged QTc and/or JTc).
- Only 6% of control subjects showed repolarization abnormalities.
- No significant relationship found between repolarization abnormalities and patient age or gender.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of children with benign PVCs have associated repolarization abnormalities.
- These repolarization changes may indicate underlying substrate abnormalities in pediatric patients.
- Prolonged QTc and JTc are key indicators in children with ventricular ectopy.