The relationship between the left atrial volume and the maximum P-wave and P-wave dispersion in patients with congestive heart failure

A short P-wave duration is associated with incident heart failure in the elderly: a 15 years follow-up cohort study

BACKGROUND

Early identification of patients at risk of congestive heart failure (HF) may alter their poor prognosis. The aim was therefore to test whether simple electrocardiographic variables, the P-wave and PR-interval, could predict incident HF.

METHODS

The PIVUS (Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors) study (1016 individuals all aged 70 years, 50% women) was used to identify predictors of HF. Subjects with prevalent HF, QRS duration ≥ 130 ms, atrial tachyarrhythmias, implanted pacemaker/defibrillator, second- and third-degree atrioventricular block or delta waves at baseline were excluded. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to relate the PR interval, P-wave duration (Pdur) and amplitude (Pamp), measured in lead V1, to incident HF. Adjustment was performed for gender, RR-interval, beta-blocking agents, systolic blood pressure, body mass index and smoking.

RESULTS

Out of 836 subjects at risk, 107 subjects were diagnosed with HF during a follow-up of 15 years. In the multivariate analysis, there was a strong U-shaped correlation between Pdur in lead V1 and incident HF (P = 0.0001) which was significant for a Pdur < 60 ms [HR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.87-4.06, at Pdur 40 ms] but not for prolonged Pdur. There was no significant relationship between incident HF and the PR-interval or the Pamp. A Pdur < 60 ms improved discrimination by 3.7% when added to the traditional risk factors including sex, RR-interval, beta-blocking agents, systolic blood pressure, BMI and smoking (P = 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

A short Pdur, an easily measured parameter on the ECG, may potentially be a useful marker of future HF, enabling its early detection and prevention, thus improving outcomes.

Cardiovascular Complications of Interatrial Conduction Block: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Interatrial block (IAB) is an electrocardiographic pattern describing the conduction delay between the right and left atria. IAB is classified into 3 degrees of block that correspond to decreasing conduction in the region of Bachmann's bundle. Although initially considered benign in nature, specific subsets of IAB have been associated with atrial arrhythmias, elevated thromboembolic stroke risk, cognitive impairment, and mortality. As the pathophysiologic relationships between IAB and stroke are reinforced, investigation has now turned to the potential benefit of early detection, atrial imaging, cardiovascular risk factor modification, antiarrhythmic pharmacotherapy, and stroke prevention with oral anticoagulation. This review provides a contemporary overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of IAB, with a focus on future directions.

The effect of empagliflozin on p wave peak time and other p wave parameters in patients with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Empagliflozin is a selective SGLT2 inhibitor and provides a significant reduction in hospitalizations in HF patients and a reduction in combined cardiovascular deaths regardless of diabetes. The mechanisms of favorable effects remain unclear. Improvement in left ventricular diastolic function and a decrease in filling pressure are any mechanisms of positive effects. These effects may show themselves with some changes on the ECG. So, we aimed to evaluate the effect of empagliflozin on P wave parameters in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without heart failure.

METHOD

Fifty-three patients were included in the study. The electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations were examined at the baseline and end of the 3rd month for all patients.

RESULTS

The median age of all patients was 55 (45-64 IOR). After treatment, LA volume (p 0.001) and diameter (p=0.001) in both the parasternal long-axis (p=0.001) and the apical four-chamber view decreased. E/e' and sPAP were significantly decreased after treatment. PWDmax, PWDmin, and PWdis (p=0.017) were significantly shorter after treatment. The PWPT in lead Dıı and V1  were significantly shorter after treatment.

CONCLUSION

We found shortening of PWPT, PWdis, and PWD as reflections of improvements in LA volume and LV diastolic function on ECG after empagliflozin treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Long P-wave duration immediately after pulmonary vein isolation on radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation predicts clinical recurrence: correlation with atrial remodeling in persistent atrial fibrillation

P-wave morphology reflects atrial remodeling and indicates prognosis after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of p-wave morphology after excluding the effect of pulmonary vein (PV) substrate on outcomes is unknown. We evaluated the p-wave morphology on electrocardiography immediately after PV isolation for clinical outcomes. Eighty-four consecutive patients (47 with paroxysmal AF and 37 with persistent AF) who underwent RFCA were included. P-wave duration (PWD) and amplitude in all leads were examined during sinus rhythm immediately after PV isolation. We evaluated the relationship between electrocardiogram parameters and AF recurrence, according to the type of AF and following ablation, and the correlation with left atrial (LA) volume, low voltage ratio, and fixed conduction time. During 12 months of follow-up, 20 patients experienced recurrence. The cut-off value of PWD > 120 ms in lead I showed a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 69% for predicting recurrence. PWD was significantly correlated with LA volume, low voltage, and conduction velocity. Significantly higher recurrence rates were observed in patients with PWD > 120 ms than in those with PWD ≤ 120 ms (p < 0.001), and the difference was more pronounced in patients with persistent AF. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that PWD > 120 ms was independently associated with recurrence in the total population (hazard ratio 2.00; 95% confidence interval 1.27-3.22; p = 0.003) and in patients with persistent AF. In conclusion, long PWD after PV isolation predicts AF recurrence, which might be associated with the extent of the LA substrate in persistent AF.

Multi-modality machine learning approach for risk stratification in heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 45

AIMS

Heart failure (HF) involves complex remodelling leading to electrical and mechanical dysfunction. We hypothesized that machine learning approaches incorporating data obtained from different investigative modalities including atrial and ventricular measurements from electrocardiography and echocardiography, blood inflammatory marker [neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)], and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) will improve risk stratification for adverse outcomes in HF compared to logistic regression.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Consecutive Chinese patients referred to our centre for transthoracic echocardiography and subsequently diagnosed with HF, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016, were included in this study. Two machine learning techniques, multilayer perceptron and multi-task learning, were compared with logistic regression for their ability to predict incident atrial fibrillation (AF), transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/stroke, and all-cause mortality. This study included 312 HF patients [mean age: 64 (55-73) years, 75% male]. There were 76 cases of new-onset AF, 62 cases of incident TIA/stroke, and 117 deaths during follow-up. Univariate analysis revealed that age, left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) and contractile strain (LACS) were significant predictors of new-onset AF. Age and smoking predicted incident stroke. Age, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, mitral or aortic regurgitation, P-wave terminal force in V1, the presence of partial inter-atrial block, left atrial diameter, ejection fraction, global longitudinal strain, serum creatinine and albumin, high NLR, low PNI, and LARS and LACS predicted all-cause mortality. Machine learning techniques achieved better prediction performance than logistic regression.

CONCLUSIONS

Multi-modality assessment is important for risk stratification in HF. A machine learning approach provides additional value for improving outcome prediction.

P Wave Peak Time for Predicting an Increased Left Atrial Volume Index in Hemodialysis Patients

OBJECTIVE

An increased left atrial volume index (LAVI) is related to increased mortality in hemodialysis patients. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the LAVI and the P wave peak time (PWPT), a newly introduced electrocardiographic parameter, in hemodialysis patients.

METHODS

The study population was made up of 79 hemodialysis patients with a mean age of 53 ± 18 years (55.7% were males). These patients were divided into a normal LAVI (≤28 mL/m2) group (n = 45) and an increased LAVI (>28 mL/m2) group (n = 34). The demographic, clinical, laboratory, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic variables of the groups were compared.

RESULTS

The P wave terminal force from lead V1, P wave dispersion and PWPTs obtained from leads V1 and D2 (PWPTD2) were significantly higher in the patients with increased LAVIs. In multivariable analysis, only the PWPTD2was an independent predictor of an increased LAVI (odds ratio = 1.117, 95% CI = 1.052-1.185, p < 0.001). The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the best PWPTD2 cutoff value for predicting an increased LAVI was 60 ms, with a sensitivity of 76.5% and a specificity of 66.7% (area under the curve = 0.736, 95% CI = 0.625-0.829, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that a prolonged PWPTD2 was independently associated with an increased LAVI in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, measuring the PWPTD2 duration on an electrocardiogram may help define high-risk hemodialysis patients with increased LAVIs.

Prevalence of P wave dispersion and interatrial block in patients with systolic heart failure and their relationship with functional status, hospitalization and one year mortality

Background and objectives

P-wave dispersion (PWD) and Interatrial block (IAB) are common in heart failure (HF), and could be associated with adverse cardiac events. We aimed to assess the prevalence of PWD and IAB and their relationship with functional status, hospitalization and mortality rate in patients with systolic HF.

Methods

We enrolled 110 HF patients in sinus rhythm & LVEF <50%. Patients had undergone clinical evaluation, 6 min walking test (6MWT), 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), 24-h Holter ECG & echocardiogram. Hospitalization and mortality rate were followed-up for one year. PWD was defined as the difference between maximum & minimum P-wave duration >40 ms. IAB was defined as maximum P duration >110 ms. Measurements were done by 2 blinded investigators using a caliber, a ruler and a magnifying lens.

Results

Mean age was 58.9 ± 9.7 years and 67.3% were males. Prevalence of PWD and IAB was 68.2% and 57.3%, respectively. Patients with PWD showed these features: 84% in NYHA class III or IV HF, 77.4% had LVEF <35%, 78.7% had paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and 89.4% couldn’t complete >200 m (m) in 6MWT. Patients with PWD had more hospitalizations (72% vs 28.6%, P value <0.02) and higher 1-year mortality rate (20% vs 8.6%, P value <0.04) than patients without PWD. Likewise, patients with IAB had nearly similar clinical features, hospitalization and mortality as patients with PWD.

Conclusion

PWD and IAB are prevalent in patients with systolic HF and they are significantly associated with low LVEF, paroxysmal AF, poor functional capacity, hospitalization and mortality rate.

P-wave dispersion: an update

P-wave dispersion (PWD, Pd or Pdis) is a noninvasive electrocardiographic (ECG) marker for atrial remodeling and predictor for atrial fibrillation (AF). PWD is defined as the difference between the widest and the narrowest P-wave duration recorded from the 12 ECG leads. Increased P-wave duration and PWD reflect prolongation of intraatrial and interatrial conduction time with lack of a well-coordinated conduction system within the atrial muscles, with inhomogeneous, asynchronic, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effect mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with the CG + GG genotype IL-6 -634C/G polymorphism [1] and discontinuous propagation of sinus impulses mainly between the left and right atria, interstitial/extracellular fibroblast activation and collagen deposition with fibrosis (via TGF-β) in atrial tissue, insufficient blood supply, significant not isotropic myoelectric activity, and thin wall thickness and consequent expansion tendency all well-known electrophysiological characteristics in patients with atrial arrhythmias and especially paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) [2].

Three dimensional left atrial volume index is correlated with P wave dispersion in elderly patients with sinus rhythm

BACKGROUND

P wave dispersion is a noninvasive electrocardiographic predictor for atrial fibrillation. The aim of the study was to explore relation between left atrial volume index assessed by 3-dimensional echocardiography and P wave dispersion in elderly patients.

METHODS

Seventy-three consecutive patients over the age of 65 (mean age: 75 ± 7 years, 17 men) were included. P wave dispersion is calculated as the difference between maximum and minimum P wave durations. Left atrial volume index was measured by both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional echocardiography and categorized as normal (≤ 34 mL/m(2)) or increased (mild, 35-41 mL/m(2); moderate, 42-48 mL/m(2); severe, ≥ 49 mL/m(2)).

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients had normal left atrium while 24 patients had mildly enlarged, nine had moderately enlarged, and nine had severely enlarged left atrium. Prolongation of P wave dispersion was more prevalent in patients with dilated left atrium. P wave dispersion was significantly correlated with both 2-dimensional (r = 0.600, p < 0.001) and 3-dimensional left atrial volume index (r = 0.688, p < 0.001). Both left atrial volume indexes were associated with prolonged P wave dispersion when adjusted for age, sex, presence of hypertension, and left ventricular mass index. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that a 3-dimensional left atrial volume index ≥ 25 mL/m(2) separated patients with prolonged P wave dispersion with a sensitivity of 82.2 %, specificity of 67.9 %, positive predictive value of 80.4 %, and negative predictive value of 70.4 %.

CONCLUSION

In elderly patients, 3-dimensional left atrial volume index showed a better correlation with P wave dispersion and might be helpful in discriminating patients with prolonged P wave dispersion, who might be prone to atrial fibrillation.

P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration are associated with renal outcomes in chronic kidney disease

P wave parameters measured by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) are commonly used as a noninvasive tool to evaluate left atrial enlargement. This study was designed to assess whether P wave parameters were associated with renal outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. This longitudinal study enrolled 439 patients with CKD stages 3–5. Renal end points were defined as the commencement of dialysis or death. Change in renal function was measured using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope. We measured two ECG P wave parameters corrected for heart rate, i.e., corrected P wave dispersion and corrected maximum P wave duration. The values of P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration were 88.8±21.7 ms and 153.3±21.7 ms, respectively. During the follow-up period (mean, 25.2 months), 95 patients (21.6%) started hemodialysis and 30 deaths (6.8%) were recorded. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that increased P wave dispersion [hazard ratio (HR), 1.020; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.009–1.032; P<0.001] and maximum P wave duration (HR, 1.013; 95% CI, 1.003–1.024; P = 0.012) were associated with progression to renal end points. Furthermore, increased P wave dispersion (unstandardized coefficient β = –0.016; P = 0.037) and maximum P wave duration (unstandardized coefficient β = –0.014; P = 0.040) were negatively associated with the eGFR slope. We demonstrated that increased P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration were associated with progression to the renal end points of dialysis or death and faster renal function decline in CKD patients. Screening CKD patients on the basis of P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration may help identify patients at high risk for worse renal outcomes.

Interatrial block: a virtual pandemic requiring attention

Interatrial block (IAB) denotes a conduction delay between the two atria (P-wave duration ≥110 ms). Depending on the severity of the block, IAB can be partial or advanced. Even though several studies have reported a high prevalence of IAB, it still remains a diagnosis many neglect without any follow-up. The crisis in IAB is undramatic until predictable complications appear. Nevertheless, the danger in IAB is real because of the major associations with multiple medical conditions, including atrial fibrillation, myocardial ischemia, left atrial enlargement, and systemic emboli. There are different treatment options for IAB to eliminate its consequences, including pacing and medical management with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. Pacing has been shown to give promising results and could potentially prevent conditions related to cardiovascular disease such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus. Given the high prevalence of IAB, together with its potentially serious consequences, and yet being largely ignored, we stress attention to this potentially dangerous pandemic and raise consideration for further investigations.

How valuable is P-wave dispersion in the determination of carboxyhemoglobin levels?

Objective:

To determine whether or not wave/interval dispersions in electrocardiography (ECG) are increased, and to define whether wave and interval dispersions are correlated with carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels.

Methods:

ECG, complete blood count, and biochemical parameters were taken from 87 patients with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning as well as 90 control patients with similar age, gender, and body mass index distribution. COHb levels were recorded in CO-poisoning patients. The COHb levels and the relationships with ECG parameters were studied.

Results:

Pmax, Pmin, Pd, PRmax, PRmin, PRd, QTmax, QTmin, QTd, cQTmax, cQTmin, cQTd, Tmax, Tmin, and Td in ECG were higher in intoxicated patients than the control group ( p < 0.05 for all). Pearson’s correlation analyses showed moderately significant positive correlations between COHb level and Pmax ( r = 0.224; p = 0.037) and Pd ( r = 0.222; p = 0.039). The receiver–operator characteristic (ROC) curve showed that a Pd value of 38 ms determined by ECG separates patients with a COHb ≥ 20% with area under the ROC curve of 0.78 (95%CI = 0.71–0.83), a sensitivity of 67.9% (95%CI = 59.4–75.6), a specificity of 95% (95%CI = 83.0–99.2], a positive predictive value of 97.9% (95%CI = 92.5–99.7), and a negative predictive value of 46.3% (95%CI = 35.3–57.7.)

Conclusion:

A significant increase in wave/interval dispersions in the ECG of CO-poisoning patients compared with controls may show that not only a part is affected but both atrium and the ventricles as a whole are affected by hypoxic ischemia. When COHb levels of the patients are unavailable, P dispersion on ECG may show CO poisoning level of the patient.

P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration are independently associated with rapid renal function decline

The P wave parameters measured by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) are commonly used as noninvasive tools to assess for left atrial enlargement. There are limited studies to evaluate whether P wave parameters are independently associated with decline in renal function. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to assess whether P wave parameters are independently associated with progression to renal end point of ≥25% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This longitudinal study included 166 patients. The renal end point was defined as ≥25% decline in eGFR. We measured two ECG P wave parameters corrected by heart rate, i.e. corrected P wave dispersion (PWdisperC) and corrected P wave maximum duration (PWdurMaxC). Heart function and structure were measured from echocardiography. Clinical data, P wave parameters, and echocardiographic measurements were compared and analyzed. Forty-three patients (25.9%) reached renal end point. Kaplan-Meier curves for renal end point-free survival showed PWdisperC > median (63.0 ms) (log-rank P = 0.004) and PWdurMaxC > median (117.9 ms) (log-rank P<0.001) were associated with progression to renal end point. Multivariate forward Cox-regression analysis identified increased PWdisperC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.024; P = 0.001) and PWdurMaxC (HR, 1.029; P = 0.001) were independently associated with progression to renal end point. Our results demonstrate that increased PWdisperC and PWdurMaxC were independently associated with progression to renal end point. Screening patients by means of PWdisperC and PWdurMaxC on 12 lead ECG may help identify a high risk group of rapid renal function decline.

Age is an independent risk factor for left atrial dysfunction: results from an observational study

Introduction. The degenerative changes of myocardial tissue are thought to influence left atrial (LA) function. Changes of left atrial function are generally due to changes in left ventricle (LV) compliance. But valvular dysfunction and hypertension as comorbidity cannot be ignored. Women have a different clinical profile compared with men concerning the risk of heart failure. We investigated the influence of increasing age and gender corrected for comorbidity, on left atrial function.Methods. Using an open access echocardiography database, supplemented with additional LA function measurements, we defined three different LA function parameters. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to reproduce the relation between age, gender and LA function. The association between age, gender and LA function was estimated, and corrected for comorbid conditions as valve disease, high blood pressure and LV dysfunction, using logistic regression.Results. Higher age was positively correlated with increased LA volume, decreased ejection fraction and increased LA kinetic energy. Age per decade increase, corrected for comorbidity, resulted in an increased risk of LA dysfunction (OR between 1.5 and 1.9). Gender had little influence on LA function parameters except for LA maximal volume. Men had a significantly larger LA maximal volume compared with women. Conclusions. In this open access echocardiography database, increasing age was correlated with LA dysfunction. Age per decade increase, corrected for comorbid conditions such as mitral and aortic valve disease, hypertension and heart failure, is an independent risk factor for LA dysfunction. The gender influence on LA dysfunction seems to be limited. (Neth Heart J 2010;18:243-7.).

Improvement of P wave dispersion after cardiac resynchronization therapy for heart failure

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on P wave maximum duration (PWM) and P wave dispersion (PWD) in patients with advanced heart failure.

METHODS

Forty-six patients (33 men; mean age, 60 +/- 11 years) with CRT were enrolled in the present study. PWM and PWD were measured using 12-lead surface electrocardiography (ECG) at a paper speed of 50 mm/s and 20 mm/mV. Serial ECG, echocardiography, clinical assessment, and device interrogations were performed at baseline and 3 months after CRT.

RESULTS

After 3 months of follow-up, PWM and PWD values were significantly decreased (129.6 +/- 11.3 to 120.7 +/- 10.7 milliseconds, P < .001; 42.6 +/- 8.0 to 32.3 +/- 10.1 milliseconds; P < .001, respectively). It showed a significant reduction in left atrial diameter (LAD) (46.5 +/- 5.2 to 44.9 +/- 5.6 mm, P = .021) and an improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (29.0% +/- 7.5% to 36.2% +/- 8.0%, P < .001). The decrease of PWM and PWD was positively correlated with the reduction of LAD and negatively correlated with the improvement of LVEF. The reduction in atrial fibrillation burden was observed after 3 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac resynchronization therapy decreases PWM and PWD along with an improvement of LVEF and a reduction of LAD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical implications of decrease of PWD on prevention of atrial fibrillation.

The effects of trimetazidine on p-wave duration and dispersion in heart failure patients

BACKGROUND

P-wave duration and dispersion (PWD) have been shown to be noninvasive predictors for development of atrial fibrillation. Thus, it may be possible to attenuate atrial fibrillation risk through normalization of P-wave duration and dispersion. Trimetazidine, a metabolic modulator, has been reported to improve cardiac function in heart failure (HF) patients.

METHODS

Thirty-six HF patients being treated with angiotensin inhibitors, carvedilol, spironolactone, and furosemide were prescribed trimetazidine, 20 mg three times a day. Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic examinations were obtained before and 6 months after addition of trimetazidine in HF patients and 36 healthy control group patients having normal echocardiographic examination.

RESULTS

Maximum P-wave duration (Pmax) (106.7 +/- 15.8 vs. 91.7 +/- 12.7 ms) and PWD (57.2 +/- 15.4 vs. 37.9 +/- 16.7 ms) were significantly longer in HF patients compared to the control group. There were significant correlations of Pmax and PWD with left atrial diameter (r = 0.508, P = < 0.001 and r = 0.315, P = 0.029), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (r = 0.401, p = 0.005 and r = 0.396, P = 0.005), deceleration time (r = 0.296, P = 0.032 and r = 0.312, P = 0.035), and isovolumetric relaxation time (r = 0.265, P = 0.038 and r = 0.322, P = 0.015). There were significant improvements in LVEF (32.7 +/- 6.5% to 37.2 +/- 5.5%, P = 0.036), left atrial diameter (41.5 +/- 6.7 to 40.3 +/- 6.1 mm, P < 0.001), and Pmax (106.7 +/- 15.8 to 102.2 +/- 11.5 ms, P = 0.006) and PWD (57.2 +/- 15.4 to 48.9 +/- 10.1 ms, P < 0.001) during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Trimetazidine added to optimal medical therapy in HF may improve Pmax and PWD in association with improved left ventricular function. Longer-term and larger studies are necessary to evaluate whether these findings may have clinical implications on prevention of atrial fibrillation.