Association between premature ventricular complexes during exercise, long-term occurrence of life-threatening arrhythmia and mortality

Abstract

Objective: Exercise-induced premature ventricular complexes (EiPVCs) are often considered as benign arrhythmias, although they are associated with a high risk of all-cause death in the general healthy population. However, an intermediate pathophysiological process remains unclear, particularly in patients with known cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to find an association between EiPVCs, the occurrence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (LACO), and all-cause mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods: This was an observational study of a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or idiopathic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Stress testing was performed as a part of the routine cardiovascular evaluation. The occurrence of EiPVCs was evaluated during exercise testing (ET). At follow-up, long-term occurrence of LACO was evaluated. A bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed. Results: Out of the total of 1442 patients analysed, 700 (49%) had EiPVCs. During 14 years of following-up after ET, 106 LACO outcomes were observed. Long-term all-cause mortality was 4% (n = 61). A bivariate analysis showed that patients with EiPVCs had an increased risk for LACO (RR = 2.81, 95% CI; 1.9–4.3, P < .001), and for mortality (RR = 2.1, CI95% 1.2–3.4, P < .01). Occurrence of LACO was also associated with a higher mortality risk (RR = 5.7, 95% CI; 3.4–9.4, P < .001). After a post hoc analysis, LACO remained as a highly predictive variable for mortality. Conclusion: Patients with EiPVCs have a high risk of LACO and all-cause mortality. The presence of LACO could be an intermediate stage between EiPVCs and mortality in subjects with cardiovascular disease. Resumen: Objetivo: La extrasistolia ventricular inducida por ejercicio (EVIE) suele considerarse una arritmia benigna, sin embargo, ha sido asociada a mayor mortalidad en población general. Hasta hoy no se ha encontrado el proceso fisiopatológico involucrado, particularmente en pacientes con enfermedad cardiovascular. El objetivo del estudio fue establecer una asociación entre EVIE con la ocurrencia de arritmias ventriculares potencialmente malignas (APM) y letalidad a largo plazo, en sujetos con enfermedad cardiovascular. Método: Estudiamos una cohorte de pacientes con enfermedad coronaria o miocardiopatía dilatada, que realizaron una prueba de ejercicio al inicio del estudio. Inicialmente evaluamos la ocurrencia de EVIE, APM y letalidad a largo plazo y posteriormente se realizó un estudio bivariable y multivariable. Resultados: Se incluyeron 1,442 pacientes de los cuales 700 presentaron EVIE (49%). Durante 14 años de seguimiento, 106 sujetos presentaron APM y la mortalidad total fue de 61 casos (4%). El estudio bivariable mostró que aquellos pacientes con EVIE tuvieron un riesgo de presentar APM de 2.81 (IC95% de 1.9 a 4.3, p < 0.001) y de mortalidad de 2.1 (IC95% de 1.2 a 3.4, p < 0.01). Los individuos con APM tuvieron mayor riesgo de mortalidad (RR= 5.7, IC95% de 3.4 a 9.4, p < 0.001). Después de un análisis multivariable, la APM continuó siendo una variable altamente predictiva de mortalidad. Conclusión: Los pacientes con EVIE tienen un riesgo elevado de presentar APM y de mortalidad a largo plazo. Los resultados sugieren que las APM podrían representar un estado intermedio entre la presencia de EVIE y la mortalidad en pacientes con enfermedad cardiovascular. Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, Arrhythmias, Exercise testing, Cardiovascular risk, Mortality, Mexico, Palabras clave: Enfermedad cardiovascular, Arritmia, Prueba de esfuerzo, Riesgo cardiovascular, Mortalidad, México