LONG QTC IN ECG OF PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH ACUTE HEMORRHAGIC AND ISCHEMIC STROKE

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of occurrence of long QTc in patients presenting with acute hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke.

Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Malir from, Jan 2017 till Jul 2017.

Material and Methods: Administration permission from concerned authorities and ethical committee was taken. All cases of stroke, regardless of sex, ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic status fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria taken from the emergency department, had informed consent from the patients except for cases in shock, confusion or coma where it was taken from the next of kin. Pertinent history and laboratory tests taken to fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including CT scan head or MRI brain whichever available. ECG was recorded by a nursing staff, interpreted by me and QTc measured by Bazett’s formula. The values were entered in the predesigned performa.

Results: Total 184 patients were included according to the inclusion criteria of the study. Mean age (years) in the study was 61.63 ± 5.20. There were 143 (77.7) male and 41 (22.3) female patients. Frequency of occurrence of long QTc in patients presenting with acute hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke was 135 (73.4) and 49 (26.6) respectively.

Conclusion: The study concludes that frequency of patients with QTc prolongation in patients with stroke is higher in our setup. This Prolonged QTc is a useful predictor of impending clinical deterioration and may provide an opportunity for early intervention to reduce severe loss.