BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) poses similar detrimental long-term prognosis as ST-segment elevation MI. No marker on ECG is established to predict successful reperfusion in NSTEMI. QT dispersion is increased by myocardial ischemia and reduced by successful restoration of epicardial blood flow by PCI. Whether QT dispersion reduction translates to small...

STUDY OBJECTIVE QT dispersion (QTd) and late potentials derived from signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) have been proposed as noninvasive predictors of cardiac arrhythmias that occur in patients with COPD. In this study, we aimed to investigate QTd and SAECG in patients with COPD. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Teaching chest disease hospital and cardiology center in a university hospital. ...

BACKGROUND Electrocardiographic changes are well known to appear with acute cerebrovascular events. OBJECTIVE To investigate if QT dispersion (QTd) is increased in patients who have an acute stroke and if this increase could be related to lesion extent and/or localization. DESIGN The study group consisted of 36 patients who had an acute stroke and no history or signs of cardiovascular disea...

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to determine whether cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) by means of biventricular pacing (BiVP) alters the QT interval (QT(c)) and QT dispersion (QTD), and whether such changes relate to the risk of developing major arrhythmic events (MAE). BACKGROUND Prolonged QT(c) is associated with MAE. Left ventricular pacing and BiVP alter QT(c). METHODS A total...

BACKGROUND The study of QT dispersion (QTd) is of increasing clinical interest, but there are very few data in large healthy populations. Furthermore, there is still discussion on the extent to which QTd reflects dispersion of measurement. This study addresses these problems. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve-lead ECGs recorded on 1501 apparently healthy adults and 1784 healthy neonates, infants, an...

QT dispersion (QTD) on 12-lead ECGs has been proposed as a marker of malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and increased QTD has been reported in long QT syndrome (LQTS). On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that transmural dispersion is associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmias in an experimental model. However, the precise type of QTD or transmural dispersion that contributes most...

BACKGROUND There is increasing interest in quality initiatives that are locally owned and delivered, team based, multiprofessional, and formative. The Royal College of General Practitioners' Quality Team Development (QTD) programme is one such initiative aimed at developing primary healthcare teams and their services. AIMS To evaluate QTD from the perspective of participants and assessors. ...

BACKGROUND Both a prolonged QT interval and increased QT interval dispersion (QTD) have been proposed as surface ECG markers of vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmias and potential predictors of mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS The predictive values of QT prolongation and QTD were assessed in 1839 participants in the Strong Heart Study, a prospective study of cardiovascular disease in America...

It is known that in patients with ischemic heart disease, QT dispersion (QTd) predicts ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death and that major coronary risk factors such as smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension increase QTd. It is not clear whether, in coronary artery disease, QTd increases because of ischemia or co-existence of coronary risk factors. In this study, we aimed to invest...

BACKGROUND The suggestion that increased QT dispersion (QTD) is due to increased differences in local action potential durations within the myocardium is wanting. An alternative explanation was sought by relating QTD to vectorcardiographic T-loop morphology. METHODS AND RESULTS The T loop is characterized by its amplitude and width (defined as the spatial angle between the mean vectors of the...