title: Major arrhythmic events and T wave morphology descriptors in hemodialyzed patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sudden cardiac death is common in patients receiving regular hemodialysis (HD). We recently demonstrated that selected repolarization descriptors calculated from electrocardiographic monitoring during HD demonstrate intra-subject stability. In this study we followed up the initial cohort for major arrhythmic events (MAE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Holter electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded during dialysis in 81 HD patients and repeated 5 times at 2 week intervals. The QRS-to-T angle (TCRT), the principal component analysis (PCA) ratio and the T wave morphology dispersion (TMD) were calculated in overlapping 10 second ECG segments and averaged overall recordings in each patient. Patients were followed up for MAE and non-arrhythmic mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 18 ± 3 months, 3 patients experienced MAE. Compared to others, MAE patients exhibited extreme TCRT and TMD values and minimal intradialytic changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognostic value of repolarization descriptors from intradialytic monitoring should be assessed prospectively.
authors.affiliation: Renal and Transplantation Unit, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom; Cardiovascular Sciences Research Centre, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Dimitrios.Poulikakos@stgeorges.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poulikakos
authors.affiliation: Renal and Transplantation Unit, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom; Cardiovascular Sciences Research Centre, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Debasish
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Arrhythmia; Hemodialysis; QRS-T; Repolarization; Risk stratification; Sudden cardiac death; TCRT; TMD