title: Electrocardiographic changes in patients with ischaemic stroke and their prognostic importance.
abstract: We investigated prognostic importance of electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in ischaemic stroke patients without primary heart disease because of the limited evidence. This study consisted of 162 patients (92 male, age 64 +/- 14 years) with first ischaemic stroke presenting to hospital during 18 months. One-month mortality was analysed by means of ischaemia-like ECG changes, long QT and arrhythmia. Ischaemia-like ECG changes were observed in 79% of stroke patients and long QTc in 26% and arrhythmias in 44%. Early mortality rate was 27% (n = 44). Age, ST-segment change and abnormal U wave were univariate predictors of early mortality (each p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, age > 65 years (OR = 1.4, p = 0.02) and presence of ST-segment change (OR = 2.6, p = 0.01) were only independent predictors. Although sensitivity and specificity of ST-segment change were relatively low to identify patients at risk of death, its negative predictive value was 82%. The ECG changes are frequently seen in selected patients with ischaemic stroke. Regardless of origin, ST-segment change can be a predictor of early mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Medical School, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey. adogan35@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tunc
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akhan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed