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OF QT INTERVAL IN CRITICAT,T.Y ILL PATI~WT

Factore LAP; Caruso MG; Miranda F; Molina N; Ribeiro F; Rodrigues T.

Intensive Care Unit. Hospital do SEPAOO. S~o Paulo. Brasil.

~ I O N :
acquired

The Long QT Interval Syndromes have been classified into

and

hereditary

characteristic

type

forms,

of

both of which

life-threatening

are

associated

polymorphic

with

ventricular

tachycardia called "Torsade de Pointes". Causes of the acquired Long

QT Interval Syndromes include Electrolyte Disturbances, Antiarrhythmic
and Nonantiarrhythmic drugs (Vasopressin,
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole,

Haloperidol, Phenothiazines,

Erythromycin, Ketoconazole and others).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of acquired

Long QT Interval in Intensive Care Patients.

PATIenTS AND ~

We studied 193 patients

(105 men;

88 women),

aged more than 12 years old admitted to Intensive Care Unit in 1995
with

several

pathologies.

Function Monitoring
Company).

All

System

Electocardiogram

patients

from

were monitored

"Dina Scope DS-330"

by a Multi-

(Fukuda Denshi

(ECG) records were studied daily.

The QT

interval were corrected for heart rate (QTc) using the Bazett formula:
inte

The upper limit of QTc were 0.424 sec for men and 0.440 sec for women.

~TS:

One hundred and fifteen

(59.59%)

patients had QTc interval

above the normal limit and seventy-eight (40.41%) had normal values.
The

abnormal

QTc

group

had

102

survivors

and

13

non-survivors

(11.30%).

The normal QTc group had 72 survivors and 6 non-survivors

(7.69%).

Statistical comparison between two groups using Chi-Square

Test showed no difZerences in non-survivors rate (Chi-Square of 0.68).

CONCLUSION: Our results showed an high incidence of Long QT Interval

in Intensive Care Patients (59.59%). The non-survivor rate of abnormal
QTc group was

not

group of patients.

significant

different

comparing

with norfnal QTc