Ambulatory electrocardiographic markers predict serious cardiac events in patients with chronic kidney disease: The Japanese Noninvasive Electrocardiographic Risk Stratification of Sudden Cardiac Death in Chronic Kidney Disease (JANIES‐CKD) study

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive electrocardiographic markers (NIEMs) are promising arrhythmic risk stratification tools for assessing the risk of sudden cardiac death. However, little is known about their utility in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and organic heart disease. This study aimed to determine whether NIEMs can predict cardiac events in patients with CKD and structural heart disease (CKD‐SHD). METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 183 CKD‐SHD patients (median age, 69 years [interquartile range, 61−77 years]) who underwent 24‐h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring and assessed the worst values for ambulatory‐based late potentials (w‐LPs), heart rate turbulence, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of documented lethal ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation or sustained ventricular tachycardia) or cardiac death. The secondary endpoint was admission for cardiovascular causes. RESULTS: Thirteen patients reached the primary endpoint during a follow‐up period of 24 ± 11 months. Cox univariate regression analysis showed that existence of w‐LPs (hazard ratio [HR] = 6.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4−22.3, p = .007) and NSVT [HR = 8.72, 95% CI: 2.8−26.5: p < .001] was significantly associated with the primary endpoint. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that the combination of w‐LPs and NSVT resulted in a lower event‐free survival rate than did other NIEMs (p < .0001). No NIEM was useful in predicting the secondary endpoint, although the left ventricular mass index was correlated with the secondary endpoint. CONCLUSION: The combination of w‐LPs and NSVT was a significant risk factor for lethal ventricular tachyarrhythmias and cardiac death in CKD‐SHD patients.