Prolonged corrected QT interval in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: a single-center, retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of a prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and its association with in-patient mortality. METHODS: A cohort of 745 patients were recruited from a single center between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020. We analyzed the factors associated with a prolonged QTc and mortality. RESULTS: A prolonged QTc interval >450 ms was found in 27% of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection. These patients were predominantly older, on a ventilator, and had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or ischemic heart disease. They also had high troponin and D-dimer concentrations. A prolonged QTc interval had a significant association with the requirement of ventilator support and was associated with an increased odds of mortality. Patients who died were older than 55 years, and had high troponin, D-dimer, creatinine, procalcitonin, and ferritin concentrations, a high white blood cell count, and abnormal potassium concentrations (hypo- or hyperkalemia). CONCLUSIONS: A prolonged QTc interval is common in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and it is associated with worse outcomes. Older individuals and those with comorbidities should have an electrocardiogram performed, which is noninvasive and easily available, on admission to hospital to identify high-risk patients.

Right ventricular involvement in patients with inferior myocardial infarction, correlation of electrocardiographic findings with echocardiography data.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the right ventricular involvement in patients with inferior myocardial infarction by echocardiography in relation to electrocardiographic findings. METHODS: This observational, prospective study was conducted at Rashid Hospital, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, from January to September 2013, and comprised patients with inferior myocardial infarction. All patients aged above 18 years were included. Right ventricular myocardial infarction was defined by the electrocardiographic criteria of > 1mV ST elevation in V4R-V5R leads. RV infarction was assessed on echocardiography by fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and tricuspid annular systolic velocity by tissue Doppler imaging. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 73 patients, there were 68(93%) men and 5(7%) women. The three modalities used to assess the right ventricular infarction showed right ventricular involvement in 36(49.3%) cases by fractional area change, 28(38.4%) cases by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and 31(42.5%) cases by tissue Doppler imaging in patients with inferior myocardial infarction. Tissue Doppler imaging and right ventricular function showed low degree of negative correlation (p=0.16) while the correlation between tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and right ventricular function showed significant positive correlation (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of right ventricular infarction by echocardiography helped to diagnose right ventricular infarction in greater number of cases compared to surface electrocardiogram.