Prognostic significance of ventricular ectopic beats in chronic ischaemic heart disease.

Holter studies were performed periodically over a period of up to 7 years (mean 33 months) in 175 post-myocardial infarction patients. According to the number of ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs), the patients were classified into two main groups: those with few VEBs, i.e. less than 8 per hour, and those with many, i.e. 8 or more per hour. By comparing the number of ectopic beats during the different monitoring sessions, it was found that individual patients tended to remain in their originally allocated groups. Patients with frequent VEBs were more likely to die suddenly, the difference being significant (P < 0,001). No association could be demonstrated between recurrent non-fatal myocardial infarction and ectopic beat frequency (P > 0,10).