Repolarization Changes in Patients with Heart Failure Receiving Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy-signs of Cardiac Memory

Background And Purpose: Cardiac memory is known as T-wave inversions and other repolarization changes after a period of altered ventricular activation, previously mainly studied in structurally normal hearts. We investigated repolarization changes in failing hearts undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Methods: Electrocardiogram and vectorcardiogram were recorded before and 1 day and 2 weeks after initiation of CRT in 23 patients with heart failure and left bundle-branch block.

Results: After 1 day of CRT, the T vector during intrinsic conduction (left bundle-branch block) had rotated toward the direction of the paced QRS vector; T-vector size had increased with further increase after 2 weeks (T-vector amplitude, 889 ± 277 vs 651 ± 225 μV; T area, 169 ± 70 vs 102 ± 39 μVs; P < .01) accompanied by prolonged repolarization (T peak-to-end, 174 ± 34 vs 127 ± 16; QT interval corrected for heart rate, 541 ± 59 vs 493 ± 33 milliseconds; P < .01).

Conclusions: Repolarization changes are present in patients with heart failure, although less pronounced compared with after right ventricular pacing in structurally normal hearts.