Cardiac evaluation of liver transplant recipients: QT dispersion in electrocardiogram.
Increased QT dispersion, the interlead variability of the QT interval length in the 12-lead electrocardiogram, reflects uneven ventricular repolarization as a sign of cardiomyopathy. We analyzed QT dispersion in the preoperative electrocardiogram of 100 adult liver transplant recipients and 20 healthy control subjects. In 12% of the liver recipients, QT dispersion was increased above 65 ms (mean + 3SD). Six of these patients had a liver storage disease (haemochromatosis, Wilson's disease or amyloidosis). Five had a history of cardiac disease. Severe intraoperative cardiac complications occurred in three patients with markedly increased QT dispersion (> or = 99 ms). In conclusion, in liver storage diseases the heart may be affected, leading to increased risk of cardiac complications, which might be predicted from increased QT dispersion. Analysis of QT dispersion, a noninvasive inexpensive technique, can be recommended to be included in the cardiac screening of liver transplant candidates.
Tallgren
M
M
Department of Anaesthesia, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.
Höckerstedt
K
K
Mäkinen
J
J
Kirvelä
M
M
Lindgren
L
L
D000328:Adult; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D007501:Iron