International journal of cardiology
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Comparative Study
Absence of change of signal-averaged electrocardiogram identifies patients with ventricular arrhythmias who are non-responders to amiodarone.
The aim of this study was to assess the ability of a non-invasive study, the signal-averaged ECG (SAECG), to predict the effect of amiodarone at ventricular level. ⋯ The effects of amiodarone on VT inducibility are predicted by a shorter baseline QRS duration and the degree of drug-induced prolongation of filtered QRS duration. Amiodarone prolonged the QRS duration, LAS duration and decreased RMS 40; this effect was more important in patients with no inducible VT and in those with only slowed VT, than in patients with unchanged or accelerated VT. The absence of changes of QRS duration predicted the induction of a more rapid or not slowed VT with amiodarone with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 83%. Therefore, SAECG appears as an useful and simple means to predict the effects of amiodarone in patients with myocardial infarction and VT.