Author/Authors :
Nikoo, Mohammad Hossein Cardiology Department - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Naeemi, Razieh Cardiology Department - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Moaref, Alireza Cardiology Department - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Sayadi, Mehrab Cardiovascular Research Center - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Razeghian-Jahromi, Iman Cardiovascular Research Center - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Abstract :
Background: Heart failure is a life-threatening event that could lead to sudden cardiac
death. It is primarily prevented by the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
Applying this therapy is mainly determined by left ventricular ejection fraction.
However, this criterion results in considerable pitfalls. Improving the discrimination
strategies in order to select eligible patients can help avoid unnecessary insertions.
Objectives: This study aimed to compare global longitudinal myocardial strain and left
ventricular ejection fraction in predicting sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmia in
heart failure patients.
Methods: This study was performed on 70 ischemic or dilated cardiomyopathic patients
randomly selected from Imam Reza clinic. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction
≤ 40% who had undergone implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation were
recruited into the research. Left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal
strain were measured by 3D echocardiography. Independent sample t-test was used for
analysis and statistical significance was set at < 0.05.
Results: The data were expressed as mean ± SD. The study subjects in the ischemic
and dilated cardiomyopathic groups were categorized according to the occurrence
of ventricular tachyarrhythmia. The results showed a significant difference between
arrhythmic and non-arrhythmic cases only in the ischemic group regarding the amount
of left ventricular ejection fraction. Meanwhile, a significant difference was observed
between arrhythmic subjects and their counterparts in both ischemic and dilated
cardiomyopathic groups concerning global longitudinal strain parameters.
Conclusion: Global longitudinal strain could be considered as a valuable predictor of
ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurrence beside left ventricular ejection fraction. This
helps selection of appropriate patients for implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy.
