title: Fragmented QRS and prediction of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation episodes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prior studies have demonstrated the relationship between cardiovascular diseases and fragmented QRS (fQRS). fQRS was also associated with ventricular arrhythmias. Our objective was to find out the relationship between fQRS and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 301 patients without overt structural heart disease were prospectively included in the study. Patients were divided in to 2 groups according to presence of fQRS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictive value of fQRS for predicting PAF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and three patients had fQRS. Patients with fQRS were older (53±16.8 vs 45.3±17.2, p<0.001), with larger left atrium (LA) (33.2±5.9 vs 30.1±5.9 mm, p=0.001), with thicker interventricular septum (IVS) (10.2±1.9 vs 9.5±2.3 mm, p=0.032), more diabetic (19.8 vs 10.6%, p=0.029) and have more PAF episodes (22.3 vs 4.1%, p<0.001) in comparison with patients without fQRS. fQRS was an independent predictor of detecting PAF episode (odds ratio, 9.69; 95% confidence interval, 2.46-38.15, p=0.001). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were also predictive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of fQRS independently predicted PAF episodes in holter monitoring (HM). Further studies are needed to clarify the clinical implications of this finding.
authors.affiliation: Ahmet Temiz, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Temiz
authors.affiliation: Emine Gazi, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gazi
authors.affiliation: Ömer Güngör, MD, Specialist in Cardiology, Department of Cardiology,Çanakkale State Hospital, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Güngör
authors.affiliation: Burak Altun, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Altun
authors.affiliation: Ahmet Barutcu, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barutcu
authors.affiliation: Ahmet Temiz, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bekler
authors.affiliation: Yusuf Ziya Tan, MD, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Medicine, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yusuf Ziya
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Sedat Ozcan, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozcan
authors.affiliation: Ali Ümit Yener, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Ümit
authors.initials: AÜ
authors.lastname: Yener
authors.affiliation: Tolga Kurt, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, Çanakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Çanakkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tolga
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurt
keywords: Fragmented QRS; Holter monitoring; Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
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