Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
J Card Fail. 2021 Feb;27(2):208-216. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.10.003. Epub 2020 Oct 10.
BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HFrEF) experience long-term deterioration of autonomic function and cardiac electrical stability linked to increased mortality risk. The Autonomic Neural Regulation Therapy to Enhance Myocardial Function in Heart Failure (ANTHEM-HF) trial reported improved heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) and reduced T-wave alternans (TWA) after 12 months of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). We investigated whether the benefits of chronic VNS persist in the long term. METHODS AND RESULTS: Effects of chronic VNS on heart rate, HRV, HRT, TWA, R-wave and T-wave heterogeneity (RWH, TWH), and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) incidence were evaluated in all ANTHEM-HF patients with ambulatory ECG data at 24 and 36 months (n = 25). Autonomic markers improved significantly at 24 and 36 months compared to baseline [heart rate, square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal-to-normal intervals (rMSSD), standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), HF-HRV, HRT slope, P < 0.05]. Peak TWA levels remained reduced at 24 and 36 months (P < 0.0001). Reductions in RWH and TWH at 6 and 12 months persisted at 24 and 36 months (P < 0.01). NSVT decreased at 12, 24, and 36 months (P < 0.025). No sudden cardiac deaths, ventricular fibrillation, or sustained ventricular tachycardia occurred. CONCLUSION: In symptomatic patients with HFrEF, chronic VNS appears to confer wide-ranging, persistent improvements in autonomic tone (HRV), baroreceptor sensitivity (HRT), and cardiac electrical stability (TWA, RWH, TWH).
背景:射血分数降低的心力衰竭(HFrEF)患者的自主神经功能和心脏电稳定性长期恶化,与死亡率风险增加相关。自主神经调节治疗增强心力衰竭患者心肌功能(ANTHEM-HF)试验报告称,迷走神经刺激(VNS)治疗 12 个月后,心率变异性(HRV)和心率震荡(HRT)增加,T 波电交替(TWA)减少。我们研究了慢性 VNS 的益处是否在长期内持续存在。
方法和结果:在 ANTHEM-HF 试验中,所有具有可移动心电图数据的患者在 24 个月和 36 个月时(n=25)评估了慢性 VNS 对心率、HRV、HRT、TWA、R 波和 T 波异质性(RWH、TWH)以及非持续性室性心动过速(NSVT)发生率的影响。与基线相比,自主标志物在 24 个月和 36 个月时显著改善[心率、连续正常到正常间期的均方根差异的平方根(rMSSD)、正常到正常间期的标准差(SDNN)、HF-HRV、HRT 斜率,P<0.05]。TWA 峰值水平在 24 个月和 36 个月时仍较低(P<0.0001)。6 个月和 12 个月时的 RWH 和 TWH 降低在 24 个月和 36 个月时持续存在(P<0.01)。NSVT 在 12、24 和 36 个月时减少(P<0.025)。没有发生心脏性猝死、心室颤动或持续性室性心动过速。
结论:在 HFrEF 有症状的患者中,慢性 VNS 似乎可广泛且持续地改善自主神经张力(HRV)、压力感受器敏感性(HRT)和心脏电稳定性(TWA、RWH、TWH)。
Auton Neurosci. 2025-8