Paradoxical nocturnal elevation of sympathetic tone and spontaneous ventricular fibrillation in Brugada syndrome.

Background: Nocturnal dominance of the incidence of spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias has been reported in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS). The purpose of the present study is to analyze the QT dynamics and autonomic balance as well as their diurnal variations in BrS patients.

Methods: Of the 33 consecutive patients with BrS included in the study, 14 had a history of cardiopulmonary arrest due to spontaneous ventricular fibrillation (VF) episodes (VF-BrS) and 19 had asymptomatic BrS (A-BrS). QT dynamics and heart rate variability were analyzed using 24-h Holter electrocardiogram recordings.

Results: Of the total 14 first cardiopulmonary arrest episodes due to spontaneous VF, 11 (79%) occurred in VF-BrS patients during the nighttime or at rest. The QT/RR slope during daytime was significantly steeper than that during nighttime in the A-BrS patients (p=0.031), but not in the VF-BrS patients (p=1.0). There were significant diurnal differences pertaining to the high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF)/HF ratios in the A-BrS patients (p=0.019 and p=0.019, respectively), but not in the VF-BrS patients (p=1.0 and p=1.0, respectively). The VF-BrS patients were characterized by relatively high LF/HF ratios, whereas the A-BrS patients were characterized by relatively low LF/HF ratios throughout the daytime and nighttime. Furthermore, the LF/HF ratios during the nighttime in the VF-BrS patients were significantly higher than those in the A-BrS patients (p=0.021).

Conclusions: Most first episodes of spontaneous VF in the VF-BrS patients occurred during the nighttime or at rest. The autonomic imbalance of paradoxical nocturnal elevation of the sympathetic tone along with an underlying persistent sympathetic tone throughout the day may play a key role for spontaneous VF initiation in BrS patients.