INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiographic Tpeak -Tend interval (Tp-Te) is a promising marker for the prediction of ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF). The study was aimed to compare single-lead vs multilead Tp-Te variables as VT/VF predictors in experimental ischemia/reperfusion model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Computer simulations were done using the ECGSIM model with an ischemic region set in anterior left ventricular apex. In 18 anesthetized cats, myocardial ischemia was induced by 30-minute ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery followed by reperfusion. Body surface ECGs in limb leads and modified precordial leads were recorded. Tp-Te was detected automatically in individual leads with a custom-designed parametric algorithm. Tp-Te dispersion and total Tp-Te were calculated as a difference between the maximal and minimal value of individual Tp-Te(s) and an interval between the earliest Tpeak and the latest Tend throughout all leads, respectively. Simulations showed that the increase of local, but not total, dispersion of repolarization characteristic for ischemic damage led to nonuniform shortening of T-peak times across 12 standard leads, which in turn resulted in the increase of single-lead Tp-Te(s), total Tp-Te and Tp-Te dispersion. Animals experienced VT/VF showed increased Tp-Te dispersion and total Tp-Te during reperfusion. In univariate logistic regression analysis, only the Tp-Te dispersion at the beginning of reperfusion was associated with the VT/VF incidence. According to ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut-off value of the Tp-Te dispersion was 17 ms (sensitivity 0.71, specificity 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: The reperfusion VT/VFs were independently predicted by increased Tp-Te dispersion, which suggests the importance of multi-lead evaluation of Tp-Te intervals.

Department of Biomedical Technology Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Czech Technical University Prague Kladno Czech Republic

Department of Cardiac Physiology Institute of Physiology Komi Science Center Ural Branch Russian Academy of Sciences Syktyvkar Russia

Department of Cardiac Physiology Institute of Physiology Komi Science Center Ural Branch Russian Academy of Sciences Syktyvkar Russia Department of Physiology Medical Institute of Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University Syktyvkar Russia