Prognostic Value of Various Electrocardiographic Features

Abstract

A total of 3, 761 patients with various types of electrocardiographic abnormality were followed up and survivorship was compared in terms of types of electrocardiographic feature and heart disease. Then distribution of cause of death in 1, 090 cases was compared in the same manner.From the view point of electrocardiographic findings, survivorship is lowest for patients with ST depression and simultaneous T inversion or those with complete left bundle branch block, and secondly low for patients with myocardial infarction. The survival rates for patients with the other types of ST•T change, complete right bundle branch block or atrial fibrillation are not so different from each other. Cases with incomplete right bundle branch block follow rather better course than those. There are conflicting difference in relationship between types of heart disease and prognosis, according to types of electrocardiographic abnormality. In cases with some type of electrocardiographic changes survival for hypertensives is lowest, while in the other type lowest for sclerotics or patients with rheumatic heart disease. Similarly, survivorship is poorest for cases with T inversion in hypertensives, while lowest for ST depression and T inversion in sclerotics and for complete right bundle branch block in patients with rheumatic valvular disease. These discrepancy and some factors affecting them were discussed briefly.A greater part of deaths in patients with myocardial infarction were sudden death on the other hand, in cases with atrial fibrillation deaths caused by congestive failure were most frequent. The latter represents patients with valvular disease. Both of deaths caused by congestive failure and sudden deaths were seen in patients with ST•T abnormality or coronary sclerosis.