Prognostic Value of T-Wave Alternans in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

In a prospective study, patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and normal TWA test results were at low short-term risk for cardiac events.

The T-wave alternans (TWA) test is proving to be quite reliable for identifying patients with ischemic heart disease at low risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD), although not necessarily those at high risk. Whether this reliability extends to patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy is less clear. In this study in nine Italian hospitals, 446 patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%, and NYHA class II and III heart failure — and without atrial fibrillation — were subjected to exercise TWA tests.

TWA test results were normal in 34.6% of participants, abnormal in 44.8%, and indeterminate in 20.6%. Compared with patients with normal TWA results, those with nonnormal (abnormal plus indeterminate) results were olde…

Reviewing Author

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate

Prognostic Value of T-Wave Alternans in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

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Reviewing Author