Sources of QTc variability: Implications for effective ECG monitoring in clinical practice
File(s)anec.12730.pdf (2.23 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Malik, Marek
Hnatkova, Katerina
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals that prolong ventricular repolarization may be proarrhythmic in susceptible patients. While this fact is well recognized, schemes for sequential QTc interval monitoring in patients receiving QT prolonging drugs are frequently overlooked or, if implemented, underutilized in clinical practice. There are several reasons for this gap in the day-to-day clinical practice. One of these is the perception that serially measured QTc intervals are subject to substantial variability that hampers the distinction between potential proarrhythmic signs and other sources of QTc variability. This review shows that substantial part of the QTc variability can be avoided if more accurate methodology for electrocardiogram collection, measurement, and interpretation is used. Four aspects of such a methodology are discussed. First, advanced methods for QT interval measurement are proposed including suggestion of multi-lead measurements in problematic recordings such as those in atrial fibrillation patients. Second, serial comparisons of T wave morphologies are advocated instead of simple acceptance of historical QTc measurements. Third, the necessity of understanding the pitfalls of heart rate correction is stressed including the necessity of avoiding the Bazett correction in cases of using QTc values for clinical decisions. Finally, the frequently overlooked problem of QT-heart rate hysteresis is discussed including the possibility of gross QTc errors when correcting the QT interval for simultaneously measured short-term heart rate.
Date Issued
2020-03
Date Acceptance
2019-10-23
Citation
Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology, 2020, 25 (2), pp.1-9
ISSN
1082-720X
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1
End Page
9
Journal / Book Title
Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology
Volume
25
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2019 The Authors. Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Sponsor
British Heart Foundation
Identifier
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/anec.12730
Grant Number
NH/16/2/32499
Subjects
QT heart rate correction
QT measurement
QT/RR hysteresis
Serial QTc monitoring
T-wave morphology
1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology
Cardiovascular System & Hematology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-11-24