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. 2022 Oct 5:9:993479.
doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.993479. eCollection 2022.

Electrocardiogram abnormalities and prognosis in COVID-19

Gabriel Chevrot  1 , Marie Hauguel-Moreau  1   2 , Marion Pépin  2   3 , Antoine Vieillard-Baron  2   4   5 , Anne-Sophie Lot  6 , Mounir Ouadahi  1 , Hélène Hergault  1 , Vincent Aïdan  1 , Ségolène Greffe  7 , Adrien Costantini  8 , Olivier Dubourg  1   2 , Sébastien Beaune  5   9 , Nicolas Mansencal  1   2
Affiliations

Electrocardiogram abnormalities and prognosis in COVID-19

Gabriel Chevrot et al. Front Cardiovasc Med. .

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is a major pandemic with potential cardiovascular complications. Few studies have focused on electrocardiogram (ECG) modifications in COVID-19 patients.

Method and results: We reviewed from our database all patients referred to our hospital for COVID-19 between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2020: 669 patients were included and 98 patients died from COVID-19 (14.6%). We systematically analyzed ECG at admission and during hospitalization if available. ECG was abnormal at admission in 478 patients (71.4%) and was more frequently abnormal in patients who did not survive (88.8 vs. 68.5%, p < 0.001). The most common ECG abnormalities associated with death were left anterior fascicular block (39.8 vs. 20.0% among alive patients, p < 0.001), left and right bundle branch blocks (p = 0.002 and p = 0.02, respectively), S1Q3 pattern (14.3 vs. 6.0%, p = 0.006). In multivariate analysis, at admission, the presence of left bundle branch block remained statistically related to death [OR = 3.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-9.28, p < 0.01], as well as S1Q3 pattern (OR = 3.17, 95% CI: 1.38-7.03, p < 0.01) and repolarization abnormalities (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.40-4.14, p < 0.01).On ECG performed during hospitalization, the occurrence of new repolarization abnormality was significantly related to death (OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.14-6.54, p = 0.02), as well as a new S1Q3 pattern (OR = 13.23, 95% CI: 1.49-286.56, p = 0.03) and new supraventricular arrhythmia (OR = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.11-13.35, p = 0.03).

Conclusion: The presence of abnormal ECG during COVID-19 is frequent. Physicians should be aware of the usefulness of ECG for risk stratification during COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; ECG; SARS-CoV-2; prognosis; repolarization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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