Arrythmias in dilated cardiomyopathy: incidence, clinical significance, and prognostic pattern

ABSTRACT

Arrhythmias of various categories may endanger the lives of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. An attempt was made to study these arrhythmias by long-term Holter monitoring. Arrhythmias of supraventricular orgin included premature atrial complexes in 30%, chronic atrial fibrillation in 23.3%, and supraventricular tachycardia in 40% of the cases. Ventricular dysrhthmias were detected as uniform premature ventricular ectopics in 15%, multiform ventricular ectopics in 60%, and ventricular tachycardia in 30% of the cases. Four of our patients sustained repeated episodes of ventricular tachycardia. We concluded that tem or malignant the arrhythmia, the higher mortality risk in such patients