Electrocardiographic signs of cor pulmonale in asbestosis

Abstract

A cross-sectional study examining the prevalence of electrocardiographic (ECG) signs of cor pulmonale and their correlation with ventilatory capacity was carried out with 130 asbestosis patients and 121 referents. The ventilatory function of 120 of the 130 patients was measured, 41 having a normal FEV1.0, 50 slight FEV1.0 impairment and 29 moderate or severe FEV1.0 impairment. The cor pulmonale signs were more prevalent in the asbestosis than in the reference group, the greatest differences being found in PII,III,aVF amplitude, PV1 amplitude, ÂQRS deviation to the right and shift of QRS transition to the left. These differences were not, however, statistically significant. The frequencies of electrocardiographic cor pulmonale findings in the three FEV1.0 categories of asbestosis patients were established. The atrial parameters PII,III,aVF, ÂP, and PV1 correlated the best with FEV1.0, but only the relationship PV1/FEV1.0 was significant (P<0.05). Most of the ventricular ECG parameters failed to show any association with FEV1.0, especially SV5,6 amplitude, which has displayed a strong positive correlation with FEV1.0 in many studies dealing with obstructive lung diseases, and terminal notching of QRS. The present study suggests that the atrial ECG variables are the most valuable items for assessing right heart disease in patients with asbestosis.