Qt dispersion has no prognostic information for patients with advanced congestive heart failure and reduced left ventricular systolic function.

BACKGROUND QT dispersion is a potential prognostic marker of tachyarrhythmic events and death, but it is unclear whether this applies to patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). METHODS AND RESULTS Of the 1518 patients with advanced CHF and left ventricular dysfunction enrolled in the Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality on Dofetilide-CHF (Diamond-CHF) study, a baseline ECG was available in 1319 patients. Of these, QT dispersion could be measured in 703 patients. During a median follow-up of 18 months (minimum 1 year), 285 patients (41%) died. The median QT dispersion was 70 ms (34/155 ms [5%/95% percentiles]), with no difference between survivors and nonsurvivors. Survival analysis revealed no prognostic information derived from QT dispersion regarding all-cause mortality (risk ratio 1.00, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.00; P=0.74), cardiac mortality (risk ratio 1.00, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.01; P=0.55), or cardiac arrhythmic mortality (risk ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.01; P=0.38). CONCLUSIONS QT dispersion has no prognostic value regarding all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, or cardiac arrhythmic mortality for patients with advanced CHF and reduced left ventricular systolic function.