title: The independent relationship of systemic inflammation with fragmented QRS complexes in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  QRS complex fragmentations are frequently seen on routine electrocardiograms with narrow or wide QRS complex. Fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, sudden cardiac death and recurrent cardiovascular events. In this study, we aimed to interrogate the relationship of systemic inflammation with the presence of fQRS in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-hundred and twenty eligible patients with ACS that underwent coronary angiography were enrolled consecutively in this study. Patients with significant organic valve disease and those with any QRS morphology that had a QRS duration ≥120 ms as well as patients with permanent pacemakers were excluded from this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with fQRS were of a higher age (p=0.02), had increased C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (p<0.001), prolonged QRS time (p<0.001), extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) (p<0.001), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) levels (p=0.006) and Q wave on admission electrocardiography (p<0.001) in comparison to patients with non-fragmented QRS. When we performed multiple logistic regression analysis, fQRS was found to be related to increased CRP levels {odds ratio (OR): 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.045-1.316, p=0.007}, QRS duration (OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.033-1.098, p<0.001), extent of CAD (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.023-2.144, p=0.037), Q wave (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.084-4.598, p=0.03) and CK-MB levels (OR: 1.0, 95% CI: 1.001-1.037, p=0.04) independently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, we found that fQRS was independently related to increased CRP. Fragmented QRS that may result as an end effect of inflammation at cellular level can represent increased cardiac risk by different causative mechanisms in patients with ACS.
authors.affiliation: Rize Education and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çetin
authors.forename: Sinan Altan
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kocaman
authors.forename: Turan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erdoğan
authors.forename: Aytun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canga
authors.forename: Murtaza Emre
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Durakoğlugil
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Şatıroğlu
authors.forename: Özgür
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Akgül
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kırış
authors.forename: Yüksel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ciçek
authors.forename: Barış
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yaylak
authors.forename: Sıtkı
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doğan
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Şahin
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bostan