[Twenty-four hour heart rate variability in patients with acute myocardial infarction depending on treatment]

Heart rate variability is a useful prognostic parameter in patients with coronary artery disease. SDNN (standard deviation of all normal RR intervals in the entire ECG 24 hour recording) was evaluated in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who were divided in two groups: The first group consisted of 22 patients who had not received streptokinase; in the second group there were 10 patients, who were treated with streptokinase and in whom indirect reperfusion criteria were observed. Two control groups were drawn into the study: the third included 30 patients with stable ischaemic heart disease with no history of myocardial infarction and the fourth group of 18 healthy subjects. SDNN was calculated by the ECG Mediarc Premier II Holter System (DRG International Inc., NJ, USA) in the time domain from 24 hour ECG recordings. Mean SDNN divided by standard deviation values were: I: 88.1 divided by 25.1 ms; II: 96.7 divided by 24.3 ms; III: 107.5 divided by 22.6 ms; IV: 136.0 divided by 20.4 ms. No significant difference in SDNN was found between heart infarct patients, who were and were not thrombolyzed (96.7 divided by 24.3 ms vs. 88.1 divided by 25.6 ms; p > 0.05) as well as between thrombolyzed infarct patients and patients with stable ischaemic heart disease with no history of myocardial infarction (96.7 divided by 24.3 ms vs. 107.5 divided by 22.6 ms; p > 0.05). However, a significant difference in SDNN was observed between patients who had not been thrombolyzed and patients with stable ischaemic heart disease (88.1 divided by 25.6 ms vs. 107.5 divided by 22.6 ms; p < 0.01).