[Subarachnoid hemorrhage: electrocardiographic, left ventricular wall motion abnormalities and mortality analysis in 14 cases].
BACKGROUND
Electrocardiographic (ECG) changes have been frequently observed in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Their association with wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle (LV) have not been well established.


METHODS
Sixteen patients with SAH were included; 2 patients with previous history of heart disease were subsequently excluded. We studied the neurological damage (Hunt-Hess grading scale), ECG (ST segment, T wave) and echocardiography (LV regional and global contractility) of 14 patients.


RESULTS
The ECG was abnormal in 11 patients (T wave: 6 patients; ST segment: 5 patients). Echocardiography showed alterations in 5 patients, all of them with ECG changes (T wave: one patient; ST segment: 4 patients). The neurological lesion was higher in patients with abnormal echocardiogram (Hunt-Hess mean grade: 4.6 vs 2.7 in patients with normal echocardiogram; p < 0.001). An intravenous infusion of dobutamine in a 23 years old male, improved the LV ejection fraction, which was severely depressed at baseline. Mortality, in all cases secondary to the neurological damage, was higher in patients with abnormal ECG (91% vs 0% in patients with normal ECG; p = 0.01) and when the echocardiogram showed alterations although in the last case no statistical differences were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Echocardiography abnormalities in patients with SAH and without previous history of heart disease are more frequently related to ECG changes affecting ST segment, and to a higher cerebral damage.
Servicios de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario, Valladolid, Madrid.
J C
JC
Muñoz
J A
JA
San Román
L
L
de la Fuente
L
L
Tamayo
A
A
Alvarez
F
F
Gandía
J A
JA
Castillo
I
I
Vilacosta
P
P
Rodríguez
F
F
Fernández-Avilés
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate