In 57 patients who in the course of 29-48 months (mean 36 months) after myocardial infarction did not develop sustained ventricular tachycardia, late ventricular potentials were investigated. Positive findings were revealed in 13 (22.8%) patients using a 25-250 Hz filter and in 14 patients resp. (24.6%) using a 40-250 Hz filter. Late ventricular potentials were significantly more frequent in patients after myocardial infarction of the lower rather than the anterior wall (p less than 0.05). No differences were revealed between groups with positive and negative late ventricular potentials as regards the occurrence of repeated infarction, left-side cardiac failure, ectopic ventricular contractions, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and cardiothoracic index. The assembled data are comparable with data in the literature pertaining to the incidence of late ventricular potentials in patients after myocardial infarction without sustained ventricular tachycardia.

Keywords: Action Potentials; Adult; Aged; Electrocardiography; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart Ventricles /physiopathology/; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction /complications/; Tachycardia /etiology/