Prognostic Significance of Quantitative QRS Duration

2010 ACCF/AHA Guideline for Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk in Asymptomatic Adults

“…Drugs under development that specifically inhibit Lp-PLA2 activity have been shown to lower Lp-PLA2 activity and inflammatory markers (199 Epidemiological studies have shown that abnormalities on a resting 12-lead ECG are predictive of subsequent mortality and cardiovascular events among asymptomatic adults (200,202,205,206). Specific electrocardiographic findings that have been linked to cardiovascular risk in populationbased cohorts and asymptomatic patients with hypertension include LVH (especially when accompanied by repolarization changes), QRS prolongation, ST-segment depression, T-wave inversion, and pathological Q waves (202,(207)(208)(209)(210)(211). Several studies suggest that subtle electrocardiographic abnormalities detectable only by computer analysis may also be associated with increased risk (212)(213)(214).…”

American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation/Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Statement on Noninvasive Risk Stratification Techniques for Identifying Patients at Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death

“…It is highly reproducible, with a coefficient of variation Ͻ5% (26). In a broad sample of patients receiving an ECG at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, Calif, 801 (1.8%) of 44 280 had a QRS duration Ͼ120 ms, and an additional 2300 had either right or left bundle-branch block (27). Estimates of the prevalence of QRS prolongation in the population with chronic congestive heart failure range between 20% and 50% (28), consistent with the notion that QRS prolongation becomes more prevalent in patients with advancing heart disease.…”

Relationship between QRS duration and left ventricular mass and volume in patients at high cardiovascular risk

“…Increasing evidence indicates that a long QRS duration on the ECG, including that within the normal range,1 2 is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality 3–5. Several mechanisms could be important.…”