Temporal changes of QT dispersion in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Aim: Ischemic stroke is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and can lead to fatal arrhythmias even in the absence of underlying cardiac pathology. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of acute ischemic stroke on QT dispersion and its temporal changes over time. Methods: A total of 124 patients with acute ischemic stroke who did not receive any reperfusion treatment were included in the study. Corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) values were obtained from 12-lead surface electrocardiograms taken within the first 12 hours and after 48 hours of stroke onset. These values were compared with those of 93 age and sex-matched control subjects. The effects of diabetes and lesion lateralization on QT dispersion were also analyzed. Stroke patients whose lesions were clearly localized to either the right or left hemisphere were divided into two subgroups. The change in QT dispersion overtime during the follow-up period was also determined. Results: The study included 124 patients with acute ischemic stroke (54 females and 70 males) with a mean age of 67±11 years, as well as a control group of 93 subjects (49 females and 44 males) with a mean age of 69±8 years. The QTcd values of the stroke group were significantly longer than the control group in the first 12 hours of symptom onset. However, after 48 hours, the QTcd values of the stroke group decreased and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The presence of diabetes mellitus caused a more significant increase in QT dispersion, and after 48 hours, the QTcd values of diabetic stroke patients were still significantly longer. The QTcd values of patients with left hemispheric lesions were significantly longer than those of patients with right hemispheric lesions, and this difference persisted after 48 hours. Conclusion: This study found that QT dispersion increases during the first few hours of ischemic stroke and decreases during the treatment period. This increase is more obvious and lasts longer in stroke patients with diabetes and left hemispheric lesions. The results suggest that QT dispersion may be a useful prognostic indicator for patients with acute ischemic stroke.