Quantitative indices of dispersion of refractoriness for identification of propensity to re-entrant ventricular tachycardia in a canine model of myocardial infarction

Abstract

All five indices were significantly greater in the 20 dogs with ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation than in control dogs. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the five indices showed that sigma was the most sensitive and specific index for discriminating these 20 dogs. The sensitivity and specificity of a sigma value greater than 14 ms (the mean value plus two SD of the control dogs) were 70% and 100%, respectively.