Heart rate variability and major arrhythmic events in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

This prospective study of 71 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and preserved sinus rhythm was designed to evaluate the relation between heart rate variability (HRV) and subsequent major arrhythmic events. Standard time- and frequency-domain HRV parameters were obtained from analysis of 24-hour Holter ECG recordings. During a mean follow-up of 15 +/- 5 months, major arrhythmic events including sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden cardiac death occurred in 10 of the 71 study patients (14%). Neither time- nor frequency-domain indices of HRV differed significantly between patients with and patients without subsequent major arrhythmic events. However, there was a trend toward a lower standard deviation of the average normal RR interval for all 5-minute segments of the 24-hour recording (68 +/- 17 ms vs 80 +/- 31 ms; P = 0.06) in patients with major arrhythmic events. In addition, the percentage of adjacent normal RR intervals differing > 50 ms over the recording period tended to be lower in patients with major arrhythmic events (6% +/- 3% vs 9% +/- 6%; P = 0.08). Our results indicate a tendency toward attenuated parasympathetic activity in IDC patients with subsequent major arrhythmic events compared to arrhythmia-free patients. Larger studies with longer follow-up periods are necessary to clarify the role of HRV measurements for arrhythmia risk prediction in patients with IDC.