Predictive value of admission electrocardiography in patients with heart failure.

Admission electrocardiography (ECG) in heart failure (HF) patients provides important diagnostic information; however, there are limited data regarding the prognostic significance of ECG parameters for predicting cardiac events (CEs). The ECGs of 246 patients admitted with acute HF were evaluated for heart rate, rhythm, QRS and ST-T wave abnormalities, QTc duration, QT peak corrected (QTpc), T amplitude, and axis. The end points included rehospitalization for a CE or death during 30-day follow-up. There were 71 (29%) patients with CEs. In patients with CEs, atrial fibrillation (AF) was observed more frequently (27% vs 13%, respectively; P=.009) and QTpc was shorter (370+/-43 vs 386+/-44 ms, respectively; P=.020). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that QTpc <or=360 ms and AF were predictive of CE after adjustment for clinical covariates. In conclusion, apart from AF, the presence of short QTpc <or=360 ms is independently associated with increased risk of rehospitalization or death in HF patients.