Evaluation of Index of Cardio-Electrophysiological Balance (iCEB) as a New Biomarker for the Identification of Patients at Increased Arrhythmic Risk.

BACKGROUND: Recently a new risk marker for drug-induced arrhythmias called index of cardio-electrophysiological balance (iCEB), measured as QT interval divided by QRS duration, was evaluated in an animal model. It was hypothesized that iCEB is equivalent to the cardiac wavelength λ (λ = effective refractory period (ERP) x conduction velocity) and that an increased or decreased value of iCEB would potentially predict an increased susceptibility to TdP or non-TdP mediated VT/VF, respectively.

METHODS: First, the correlation between QT interval and ERP was evaluated by invasively measuring ERP during a ventricular stimulation protocol in humans (N = 40). Then the effect of administration of sotalol and flecainide on iCEB was measured in 40 patients with supraventricular tachycardias. Finally iCEB was assessed in carriers of a long QT syndrome (LQTS, N = 70) or Brugada syndrome (BrS, N = 57) mutation and compared them with genotype negative family members (N = 65).

RESULTS: The correlation between QT interval and ERP was established (Pearson R(2) = 0.25) which suggests that iCEB≈ERPxCV≈QT/QRS. Sotalol administration increased iCEB (+ 0.23; P = 0.01), while it decreased with the administration of flecainide (-0.21, P = 0.03). In the LQTS group iCEB was increased (5.22 ± 0.93, P < 0.0001) compared to genotype negative family members (4.24 ± 0.5), while it was decreased in the BrS group (3.52 ± 0.43, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that iCEB (QT/QRS) is a simple but effective ECG surrogate of cardiac wavelength. iCEB is increased in situations that predispose to TdP and is decreased in situations that predispose to non-TdP mediated VT/VF. Therefore, iCEB might serve as a noninvasive and readily measurable marker to detect increased arrhythmic risk.