ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY IN PATIENTS ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF WESTERN NEPAL

INTRODUCTION:  Cardiomyopathy is a disease  of the heart  muscle  that  leads  to deterioration of myocardial functioning.  It has different morphological variation with  dilated cardiomyopathy being the most common  form  comprising over 90% of all cases. Heart  failure  (HF)  is the  most  common  clinical  presentation of dilated  cardiomyopathy.   Various  electrocardiographic changes  are common in these patients.  The most common  cause of sudden death in these patients is arrhythmia.  This study aimed at characterizing different  electrocardiographic changes  in patients of dilated cardiomyopathy admitted  for heart failure.MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of records of admitted  patients  from l" January 2015 to 30th April 2018 was conducted.  Study was conducted  after obtaining ethical clearance  from institutional review  board. Data was collected in a preformed proforma and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version.RESULTS: Consecutive  400 cases of dilated  cardiomyopathy with systolic dysfunction (LVEF<40%) were taken  for the study. Two hundred and fifty two (63 %) were male. The mean age of patients was 59.33 (± 15.76) years. The most common  risk factors in our patients  were smoking (66%)  followed by systemic hypertension (49%), IHD (32%), and diabetes  mellitus (33%) respectively. Out of 400 patients, abnormal ECG were found in 82.5%. The most common abnormality  was LVH (30.7%) followed by LBBB (22.5%) and AF (20.5%).CONCLUSION: The percentage   of abnormal  electrocardiographic findings was high in our study. All patients of dilated cardiomyopathy should undergo electrocardiography screening for risk stratification and to prevent serious  consequences with early necessary intervention.Journal of Universal College of Medical SciencesVol. 6, No. 1, 2018, Page: 40-45