Serum aldosterone as a predictor of heart rhythm disorders in acute myocardial infarction

Introduction: In addition to the fastest reperfusion procedure of coronary arteries blood flow, identification of patients with increased risk of early and late complications is of the utmost importance in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: We included total of 207 patients in the acute phase of myocardial infarction, which were divided into two groups, 127 patients without clinical symptoms of heart failure (HF) and 60 patients with HF symptoms. For all patients serum aldosterone levels were determined 24 hours after acute MI. Results: In the group of decompensated patients, changes in aldosterone level did not show a statistically significant effect on paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) occurrence (p > 0.05), while in the group of compensated patients there is statistically significant effect on PSVT occurrence (p =0.004). Changes in aldosterone level in the group of decompensated (p=0,030) and compensated patients (p=0,024), showed statistically significant influence on the ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurrence. In the group of compensated patients, changes in aldosterone level showed a statistically significant effect on ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurrence (p = 0.024). Conclusion: Plasma aldosterone level in patients with acute myocardial infarction has a significant influence on the occurrence of cardiac rhythm disorders irrespective of the existence of cardiac decompensation. Keywords: aldosterone, myocardial infarction, prediction.