A prospective study on electrocardiographic findings of patients with organophosphorus poisoning

Organophosphate (OP) compounds are widely used in different applications including agriculture. The widespread use of OP insecticides, however, brings high risks of severe health problems. Besides occupational poisoning in industrial production and agricultural application, instances of acute organophosphate poisoning (OPP) also include suicide, homicide, and accidental overdose. Cardiovascular manifestations frequently accompany exposure to these organophosphorus compounds, but their exact nature is not fully elucidated. In this study, we evaluated 20 patients who presented to our emergency department with organophosphorus (OP) poisoning and discussed their associated electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities. Over 3 months, 20 patients with OP poisoning were included in this prospective study. ECG analysis included the rate, ST-T abnormalities, conduction defects, and measurement of PR and "QTc" intervals. Our results show that 12 patients were having prolonged QTc interval i.e., >0.43 s. Eight patients were having mild elevated ST segment and low-amplitude "T" waves. Most of the patients have shown increased heart rate, where as some has shown decreased value. From this study, we conclude that acute organophosphorus poisoning is associated with ventricular arrhythmias, tachycardia and bradycardia, and attributes mild myocardial ischemia.