Common Sites of Short-term Interventricular Premature Beats in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Objective: To determine the occurrence of short-term interventricular premature beats and ventricular anatomical position in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the 24 h dynamic electrocardiograms of 323 patients with AF and ventricular premature beats treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University in 2016 was performed. The Lorenz scatter plot was used to measure the point of the shortest conjugation among the ventricular premature beats in patients with AF, and the origin of the premature ventricular contractions was determined using the reverse technique.

Results: The measurements of short-term intervals of ventricular premature beats which originated from the left ventricular apex and right ventricular apex were the shortest [(380 ± 55) ms and (394 ± 58) ms], respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P> 0.05). The measurements of short-term intervals of ventricular premature beats was lower in the left ventricular apex than left ventricular inflow tract, left ventricular outflow tract, right ventricular inflow tract, and right ventricular outflow tract (t=4.89, P<0.01; t=5.61, P<0.01; t=3.90, P<0.01; t=5.99, P<0.01, respectively). The measurements of short-term intervals of ventricular premature beats was lower in the right ventricle apex than left ventricular inflow tract, left ventricular outflow tract, right ventricular inflow tract, and right ventricular outflow tract (t=2.18, P=0.03; t=3.09, P<0.01; t=2.07, P=0.04; t=3.11, P<0.01, respectively).

Conclusion: The apical level in patients with AF is prone to short-term interventricular premature beats, which may be related to pathophysiology, apical structure and function.