Frontal QRS - T angle is associated with severity and prognosis of acute pulmonary embolism

Abstract

Introduction: The pathological effects of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) on the right ventricle are one of the most important determinants of mortality in patients with APE. Frontal QRS-T angle (fQRSTa) predicts ventricular pathology and poor prognosis in many different cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated whether there is a significant relationship between fQRSTa and APE severity.

Material and methods: A total of 309 patients were included in this retrospective study. The severity of APE was classified as massive (high risk), submassive (intermediate risk), or nonmassive (low risk). fQRSTa calculated from standard ECGs.

Results: fQRSTa was significantly higher in massive APE patients (p < 0.001). fQRSTa was also found to be significantly higher in the in-hospital mortality group (p < 0.001). fQRSTa was an independent risk factor for the development of massive APE (odds ratio:1.033; 95% CI: 1.012-1.052; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our study showed that increased fQRSTa predicts high-risk APE patients and mortality in APE patients.

Keywords: Acute pulmonary embolism; Frontal plane QRS-T angle; Massive; Mortality.