QT interval and corrected QT interval in patients with sepsis in correlation with sepsis outcome and electrolytes

Abstract

Abstract Background sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. Common signs and symptoms of sepsis include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. In the very young, old, and people with a weakened immune system, there may be no specific symptoms. Aim to study QT dispersion, QT interval abnormalities and corrected QT interval in septic patients in correlation with arrhythmias, hospital outcome (survival, mortality) and electrolytes. Patients and Methodology this is a prospective randomized study that was conducted on forty adult patients who were admitted in the ICU at Ahmed Maher Teaching Hospital with the diagnosis of sepsis to correlate Corrected QT interval (QTc) and QT dispersion (QTD) with arrhythmias, need for mechanical ventilation (MV), electrolytes and hospital outcome. Results forty patients were included in this study, their ages with a mean of 53.50± 13.7 years. Male patients were 24(60%) and female patients were 16 (40%). The most frequent risk factor was hypertension (62.5%). Conclusions the QTc duration may act as a risk marker in the septic patient. Patients with markedly prolonged QTc interval had significantly more episodes of inhospital ventricular tachycardia and hospital mortality. Recommendations QTc may add a useful, simple and accessible tool to be used in risk stratification of septic patients. Factors that cause QTc prolongation could be an avoidable or correctable factors; lifethreatening arrhythmia could be prevented.