Characteristic Electrocardiography Findings of COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Background: Determining a relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the ECG findings of the patients with this disease can assist in early diagnosis and patient management based on these findings. This study aimed to investigate whether COVID-19 patients had characteristic ECG findings in the acute period. Methods: A total of 124 patients were divided into two groups as those diagnosed with COVID-19 and controls. The ECGs of these patients were evaluated in terms of rate, rhythm, presence of ST changes, PR interval, QRS width, QTc and QT interval, and presence of right and left bundle branch blocks. Results: On the ECG, the median heart rate of the COVID-19 patients was 104/min (IQR: 99–114), and there was a significant difference compared to the control group (P<0.001). The median PR interval was 157/ms, the QRS width was 86 ± 9/ms in the COVID-19 patients, with no significant difference compared to the controls (P = 0.161 and P = 0.631, respectively). The median QT interval of the COVID-19 patients was normal (400/ms), but a significant difference was detected compared to the controls (P = 0.005). The QTc, ST change, AF, and presence of right and left bundle branch blocks were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Considering the importance of ECG findings in order to diagnose COVID-19 disease early, we can state that sinus tachycardia is very common in COVID-19 patients, but there is no characteristic ECG finding for COVID-19, including tachycardia.

Electrocardiogram abnormalities and prognosis in COVID-19

“…This may be due to the fact that in our institution, we prescribed HCQ/AZT combination regimen during a limited period (04/06/2020 to 04/16/2020) in a limited number of patients (n = 13) and ECG was not systematically performed. Other ECG abnormalities that we describe in our study are consistent with the literature ( 26 – 28 , 33 ). Interestingly, we found that left bundle branch block, S1Q3 pattern and repolarization abnormalities were independently associated with death in cases of COVID-19.…”

“…It is now well-known that ECG is modified by systemic inflammation, which may be consecutive to COVID infection or any of its complications ( 6 , 8 ). In previous studies, an abnormal ECG was observed in between 47 and 93% of COVID-19 patients ( 23 , 24 , 26 – 28 ). In our study, 71.4% of patients presented with ECG abnormalities: 68.7% in patients admitted in medical wards and 79.3% in ICU patients.…”

“…There are few published studies of ECG modifications related to COVID-19 ( 23 – 28 ). A retrospective cohort study of 756 patients comparing ECG abnormalities showed that both left- and right-sided heart disease in patients with COVID-19 have higher odds of death ( 26 ), but the confounding factors are not well-described.…”

Intelligent Electrocardiogram Analysis in Medicine: Data, Methods, and Applications

“…SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, can invade both respiratory system and other vital organs such as the heart [58] . Early studies have shown multiple cardiovascular alterations in COVID-19 patients [59,60] , allowing the use of ECG for COVID-19 diagnosis. Rahman et al [61] adopted the transfer learning strategy and used ECG images to automatically diagnose COVID-19 and other cardiac diseases.…”