Electrocardiogram parameters for predicting future arrhythmia in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary...

Arrhythmia is one of the common comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate arrhythmia predictors by using ECG in non-hypoxemic patients with stable COPD in outpatient clinics.

Fifty patients with COPD and 21 age-sex matched healthy controls were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were having history of exacerbation in the last two months, any cardiac symptoms, comorbidities, hypoxemia for COPD patients, and additionally, history of smoking for healthy controls. Twelve-lead ECGs were obtained from all patients.

Mean was 55 ± 4 year in all participants. Median Medical Research Council (MRC) score of COPD patients was 2 and median value of FEV1 was 49%. Median heart rate of COPD patients was 77/min with normal sinus rhythm, significantly faster than healthy controls. P-min, QTcmin, Tp-edisp, Tp-e/QT were significantly different from the control group. In patients with COPD, whilst significant correlations between pulmonary functions and Qtcmin, Qtc-max, p-min were found, there were no significant differences between groups of spirometric stages. Smoking and mMRC dyspnea scale were not correlated with ECG findings.

This study showed that non-hypoxemic COPD patients with decreased pulmonary functions, without cardiac symptoms and comorbidities, could have risks for atrial, ventricular arrhythmias regardless of dyspnea, smoking.