T-wave alternans in apparently healthy subjects and in different subsets of patients with ischaemic heart disease

AimsMicrovolt T-wave alternans (TWA) predicts arrhythmic risk in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). While TWA has widely been assessed by the spectral method, it has been poorly characterized in healthy people as well as in IHD patients by the modified moving average (MMA) method.Methods and resultsWe enrolled 729 consecutive subjects, referred for exercise stress test (EST). T-wave alternans was assessed by the MMA method, considering all 12 electrocardiogram (ECG) leads (TWA-tot) or the 6 ECG pre-cordial leads only (TWA-prec). Patients were divided into five groups: (i) no history of IHD and normal EST (Group 1); (ii) no history of IHD but positive EST (Group 2); (iii) ischaemic heart disease without any acute myocardial infarction [AMI (Group 3)]; (iv) old AMI (Group 4); (v) recent AMI (Group 5). T-wave alternans values >95th percentile of those measured in Group 1 were considered 'abnormal'. The 95th percentile of TWA values in Group 1 was 75 V for TWA-tot and 65 V for TWA-prec. T-wave alternans values and prevalence of abnormal TWA increased from Groups 12 to Group 5 (P< 0.00001 for both). Group 4 and Group 5, compared with Group 1, showed a significant higher prevalence of abnormal values of TWA-tot [odds ratio (OR) 1.70 (P 0.002), and 2.07 (P 0.01), respectively] and TWA-prec [OR 1.51 (P 0.02) and 2.37 (P 0.003), respectively] at multivariable analysis. In IHD patients EST-induced ischaemia did not influence TWA; in AMI patients, impaired left ventricular function was associated with higher TWA values.ConclusionsIn healthy people, TWA-tot and TWA-prec were ≤75 and ≤65 V, respectively, in 95 of subjects. In IHD patients TWA values were higher compared with healthy individuals; a history of AMI was independently associated with abnormal TWA values.