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QT Interval and QT Dispersion in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: Revisiting the Old Theory
Mohamed A Alabd1, Walid El-Hammady, Ahmed Shawky
1Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Aims:
We sought to explore the response of the corrected QT (QTc) interval duration and QT dispersion (QTD) to hemodialysis.
Methods:
We enrolled 50 patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis. Blood samples were drawn for measurement of serum electrolytes, and a 12-lead ECG was performed to measure the QTc interval duration and QTD, immediately before and just after dialysis sessions.
Results:
The mean age of the cohort was 42.8 ± 12.2 years (58% males). Both the QTc duration and QTD showed marked variability after hemodialysis. A significant correlation was found between the decrease of both serum potassium and magnesium levels after dialysis and the post-dialysis QTc interval duration, with Pearson's correlation coefficients r = -0.43 and r = -0.34, p = 0.002 and p = 0.01, respectively. Patients with a post-dialysis increase of QTc interval duration had a significantly higher percentage of reduction of serum potassium (p = 0.029), whereas patients with a post-dialysis increase of QTD had a significantly higher percentage of reduction of serum magnesium (p = 0.03).
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest a highly variable response of the QTc interval duration and QTD to hemodialysis. The post-dialysis QTc interval duration inversely correlated with the decrease of both serum potassium and magnesium levels after dialysis.
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