The relationship between 24 hour total heart beats or ventricular arrhythmias and cardiopulmonary function in patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy

The THB were 144,428±12.237 beats per 24 hours in the child group (8 to 15 years, n=12) and 136,355±19,991 beats per 24 hours in the adult group (16 to 25 years, n=17). Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were observed in 14 of the 29 patients (48.3%), and high risk PVCs (Lown's grade 3-4b) were observed in 11 of these 14 patients (78.6%). We conclude that the THB in the adult group was mainly related to depressed pulmonary function, and the severity of the PVCs in both the adult and child groups was mainly related to the degree of left ventricular dysfunction