Changes on Electrocardiographic Patterns and Associated Factors among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.
ECG is the graphic records of time-varying bio-electric potential generated by the electrical activity of heart which used to measure and monitor the structural and functional activity of the heart for its ease of usage and non-invasiveness.
Heart chamber enlargement (atrial enlargement 48.8% like RAE/P-pulmonale 28.8% and ventricular hypertrophy 15%) due to HIPVC as compensatory of alveolar hypoxia in COPD patients resulting in pulmonary hypertension with increased burden of heart to overcome pulmonary pressures ends with chamber enlargement specially on the right side the heart; seen on ECG as p-pulmonale.
In nutshell, the present study revealed higher prevalence of abnormal ECG than any previous studies. The possible justification for this difference might be absence of routine screening for systemic comorbidities including CVDs in the setting and the treatmentis also limited to the primary compliant of the patients (COPD). Low QRS amplitude 20% and poor progression of R-wave 15% due to dampening effect/insulating effect of hyper inflated lungs and lowered position of the heart (tubular) with respect to electrodes.
Among 80 COPD patients enrolled in the present study, maximum numbers of patients were in the age range of 51-60 years, with high prevalence among males, with low economic status, living in rural areas, farmers, smokers and underweight. The prevalence of abnormal ECG was 83.75%. As the classification was based on Minnesota ECG coding criteria, the identified abnormal ECG were: arrhythmia 50%, atrial enlargement 48.8%, MI/CADs 41.3%, axis deviation 35%, other ECG abnormalities (poor R-wave progression and low QRS amplitude) 35% and ventricular hypertrophy 15%.
Heart Res Open J. 2019; 6(1): 4-14. doi: 10.17140/HROJ-6-149
