Possibilities of electrocardiographic and decartographic parametersin the diagnosis of right ventricular overload in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Aim: to study the possibilities of electrocardiographic and decartographic parameters to identify and assess the severity of overload of the right ventricle in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients. Material and methods. Decartographic parameters of the activation duration and repolarization acceleration were studied in 120 patients with PAH and 120 healthy individuals compared to traditional ECG criteria of right ventricular hypertrophy. Moderate increase in systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) was determined as SPAP 30-50 mm Hg; severe as SPAP greater than 50 mm Hg. Results. The most informative decartographic indicators for the separation of the PAH group as a whole, and the subgroup with moderate increase in SPAP and normal group were the X and Z components of the repolarization acceleration vector and the index of activation duration, and for the separation of subgroups with moderate and severe increase in SPAP - Y component of the repolarization acceleration vector and index of activation duration. Decartographic parameters were more informative as compared with ECG criteria. Conclusion. In patients with PAH decartographic parameters can be useful for detecting the overload of the right ventricle and the assessment of its severity.