ECG changes and post-COVID arrhythmia incidence in patients with acute COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients have experienced cardiovascular complications, including a variety of arrhythmias. The aim of our study was to evaluate the acute electrocardiography (ECG) changes and post-COVID arrhythmia incidence in patients with acute COVID-19 infection. Patients and Methods: One hundred hospitalized COVID-19 patients were consecutively included. Patients were divided into two groups according to their troponin levels. Thirty subjects were included as controls. All patients underwent daily 12-lead ECG during hospitalization and were followed up for at least 12 months, by performing ECG and ambulatory ECG monitoring and questioning their symptoms at 3-month intervals. Results: Thirty-one patients had elevated high sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI). These patients had significantly longer QT dispersion compared to COVID-19 patients with normal troponin levels and controls. Regardless of troponin elevation, COVID-19 patients had significantly longer Tp-e intervals and P wave (PW) durations compared to controls. During the follow-up period; palpitation, beta-blocker usage, and inappropriate sinus tachycardia were more common in the COVID-19 group with hs-cTnI than control group. Conclusion: Our study did not find any relation between serum fibroblast growth factor-21 levels and carotid intima-media thickness. Further researches with wider study population are needed.