Diagnostics of chronic heart failure by the duration of ventricular systole

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate systolic duration on the basis of the QT interval in an ECG. We observed 246 coronary heart disease and hypertensive patients. 134 of them had a functional stress test for revealing latent heart failure. Systolic duration reflects ventricular contractile function. The difference between the values in the actual QT interval and the one corrected for the heart rate is indicative of myocardial contractile dysfunction and heart failure. We have found ventricular systole elongation in patients’ ECGs, which expressly depends on heart failure severity. Functional stress tests help to reveal that in the event of asymptomatic chronic heart failure. They cause the QT interval prolongation, and therefore, contractile dysfunction of the ventricles. So, heart failure is based on contractile dysfunction of the cardiac muscle. Refs 19. Tables 2.