Left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients is associated with complex ventricular arrhythmias, which may predispose to sudden cardiac death based on evidence from other forms of hypertrophy.
Highlights the need to determine the prognostic significance of complex ventricular arrhythmias in hypertensive patients with LVH regarding sudden cardiac death risk.
Hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are predisposed to sudden cardiac death. Several studies have demonstrated that complex ventricular arrhythmias, including episodes of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, occur commonly during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring of hypertensive patients with LVH. The prognostic significance of such arrhythmias is not known. In other forms of cardiac hypertrophy, however, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, complex ventricular arrhythmias detected during ambulatory monitoring are predictive of subsequent sudden death and there is some evidence that appropriate antiarrhythmic drug therapy may reduce mortality.
McLenachan et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular hypertrophy was evaluated. Left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients is associated with complex ventricular arrhythmias, which may predispose to sudden cardiac death based on evidence from other forms of hypertrophy.