title: Q-T interval as predictor of serum calcium level.
abstract: To assess whether measurement of the electrocardiograhic (ECG) Q-T interval is a useful predictor of total serum calcium concentration, 15 uraemic patients were studied (10 female, five male; age range, 25-60 years). Resting ECGs were interpreted by three independent observers without knowledge of the patients' identity or serum calcium. Three variants of measurement of the Q-T interval were analysed, of which Q-aTc, the interval from the beginning of the Q-wave to the apex of the T-wave, was the most consistent (coefficient of variation, 2.7%). This also provided the best correlation with measured serum calcium concentration (P < 0.001). When compared to biochemical measurements, the predicted serum calcium concentration was within 95% confidence limits in 14 of the 15 patients studied. However, the wide confidence limits of this technique mean that it cannot be recommended in routine clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Hospital Split, Croatia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ljutic
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rumboldt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simunic
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pivac
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bagatin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014511:Uremia / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium