OBJECTIVE: To compare QTc duration and Heart Rate (HR) in patients with cirrhosis with non-cirrhotic controls. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Civil Hospital and Lyari General Hospital, Karachi, from March 2004 to February 2006. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Confirmed patients of cirrhosis were selected and allocated to Group-I. An equal number of non-cirrhotic patients were taken as control and were allocated to Group-II. ECG was recorded and values of HR and QTc were calculated. Comparison of increased frequency of HR and prolongation of QTc were done using Chi-square test or Fisher's Exact Test with significance level at <or= 0.05. ROC curves of HR and QTc were plotted for the presence of cirrhosis. RESULTS: Seventy-eight confirmed patients of cirrhosis of liver were inducted in Group-I with same number of non-cirrhotic patients as control in Group-II. The mean +/- SD of QTc of Group-I was 0.438 +/- 0.015 sec and that in Group-II was 0.432 +/- 0.010 sec and that for HR in Group-I and II were 78.34 +/- 12.15 and 74.98+/-8.03 b/min respectively. The mean QTc and HR values were significantly more in Group-I as compared to Group-II with p = 0.006 and p = 0.043 respectively. CONCLUSION: Means of both HR and QTc were significantly higher in cirrhotic patients as compared with non-cirrhotic controls.
OBJECTIVE: To compare QTc duration and Heart Rate (HR) in patients with cirrhosis with non-cirrhotic controls. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Civil Hospital and Lyari General Hospital, Karachi, from March 2004 to February 2006. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Confirmed patients of cirrhosis were selected and allocated to Group-I. An equal number of non-cirrhotic patients were taken as control and were allocated to Group-II. ECG was recorded and values of HR and QTc were calculated. Comparison of increased frequency of HR and prolongation of QTc were done using Chi-square test or Fisher's Exact Test with significance level at <or= 0.05. ROC curves of HR and QTc were plotted for the presence of cirrhosis. RESULTS: Seventy-eight confirmed patients of cirrhosis of liver were inducted in Group-I with same number of non-cirrhotic patients as control in Group-II. The mean +/- SD of QTc of Group-I was 0.438 +/- 0.015 sec and that in Group-II was 0.432 +/- 0.010 sec and that for HR in Group-I and II were 78.34 +/- 12.15 and 74.98+/-8.03 b/min respectively. The mean QTc and HR values were significantly more in Group-I as compared to Group-II with p = 0.006 and p = 0.043 respectively. CONCLUSION: Means of both HR and QTc were significantly higher in cirrhotic patients as compared with non-cirrhotic controls.