Fragmented QRS complex in adult patients with Ebstein anomaly and its association with arrhythmic risk and the severity of the anomaly.
BACKGROUND
Fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) on 12-lead ECG, a marker of myocardial scar, is a predictor of arrhythmic events in patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. We investigated whether the presence of fQRS is associated with the severity of the anomaly and with increased arrhythmic events in adult patients with Ebstein anomaly (EA).


RESULTS
In 51 consecutive adult patients with EA (median age, 37 years; 18 males), the severity index of EA calculated from echocardiographic data and clinical arrhythmic events were analyzed. The extent of fQRS in each patient was measured by counting the number of ECG leads showing fQRS. There were 35 (68.6%) patients with fQRS (fQRS group) and 16 (31.4%) patients without fQRS (non-fQRS group). fQRS was observed more frequently in the inferior (n=26) and precordial (n=25) leads versus the lateral leads (n=5). The patients in the fQRS group had a worse functional class, greater cardiothoracic ratios, more severe tricuspid regurgitation, larger atrialized right ventricular areas, higher EA severity scores, and more frequent arrhythmic events compared with those in the non-fQRS group. The atrialized right ventricular area showed a positive correlation with the fQRS extent (r=0.51; P<0.001). In multivariable Cox regression models, the presence of fQRS was independently associated with arrhythmic events (P=0.036).


CONCLUSIONS
Fragmented QRS on 12-lead ECG was associated with larger atrialized right ventricular area and an increased risk of arrhythmic events in adult patients with EA.
Departments of Medicine, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Seung-Jung
SJ
Park
Seungmin
S
Chung
Young Keun
YK
On
June Soo
JS
Kim
Ji-Hyuk
JH
Yang
Tae-Gook
TG
Jun
Shin Yi
SY
Jang
Ok Jung
OJ
Lee
Jinyoung
J
Song
I-Seok
IS
Kang
June
J
Huh
D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications*; D004437:Ebstein Anomaly / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
Ebstein anomaly; arrhythmias, cardiac; electrocardiography