Clinical research
Incidence of mortality in 1,040 patients with coronary heart disease or hypertensive heart disease with normal and abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction and with normal and abnormal QRS duration

Introduction: The QRS duration on the resting ECG and LVEF determined by 2-dimensional echocardiography were measured in 1,040 patients with coronary heart disease or hypertensive heart disease with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
Material and methods: A QRS duration of ³120 msec was considered abnormal. A LVEF <50% was considered abnormal. The 1,040 patients included 627 men and 413 women, mean age 66±15 years. All-cause-mortality was determined at follow-up.
Results: Mean follow-up was 17±10 months. Death occurred in 65 (11%) of 598 patients with a normal QRS duration and a normal LVEF[1], in 19 (19%) of 100 patients with an abnormal QRS duration and a normal LVEF[2], in 53 of 242 (22%) patients with a normal QRS duration and an abnormal LVEF[3], and in 36 (36%) of 100 patients with an abnormal QRS duration and an abnormal LVEF[4] (P<0.025 comparing 1 with 2, P<0.001 comparing 1 with 3 and 1 with 4, P<0.01 comparing 2 with 4 and 3 with 4).
Conclusions: Patients with coronary heart disease or hypertensive heart disease with LVH and an abnormal LVEF and an abnormal QRS duration had a significant 3.3 times higher mortality than patients with coronary heart disease or hypertensive heart disease with LVH and a normal LVEF and a normal QRS duration.