Correlation between QTc interval duration and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with acute myocardial...

QTc interval and left ventricular regional wall motion abnormality score (WMS) were assessed in 61 consecutive patients with 4-day-old acute myocardial infarction (AMI). There were 45 men and 16 women, aged 60.6 +/- 8.7 years; 24 had anterior wall AMI and 37 had inferior wall AMI. Twenty-nine patients received thrombolytic treatment, which was presumably successful in 19. The longest QTc interval from a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, corrected by Bazett's formula, was considered for the study. The WMS was evaluated echocardiographically. The authors found a statistically significant correlation between WMS and QTc interval duration; the correlation was stronger in patients with anterior AMI (r = .9, P < .001) than in those with inferior AMI (r = .66, P < .001). The WMS and QTc values were significantly lower in patients with successful thrombolytic treatment compared to those with unsuccessful thrombolysis (P < .003 and P < .002, respectively). The authors could demonstrate no significant correlation between serum potassium concentration and the QTc interval. In patients with anterior AMI, QTc interval duration might represent an additional marker of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. It could also be used as an additional noninvasive criterion of coronary artery reperfusion in patients with AMI.