Short- and long-term outcomes depending on electrical dyssynchrony markers in patients presenting with acute heart failure

Background Prolongations of PR interval and QRS duration on 12-lead electrocardiogram are associated with atrioventricular and interventricular/intraventricular dyssynchrony, respectively. However, their clinical significance remains unclear in real-world heart failure (HF) population. We assessed whether the presence of first-degree atrioventricular block and/or QRS prolongation (≥120 ms) is associated with worse short- and long-term outcomes in patients with acute HF. Methods The Korean Heart Failure is a nationwide registry of 3,200 consecutive patients presenting with acute HF at 24 centers in South Korea between June 2004 and April 2009. We selected 1,986 patients with sinus rhythm and divided them into 4 groups depending on the presence of first-degree atrioventricular block and/or QRS prolongation; ED_Neither (n = 1,347), ED_PR (n = 217), ED_QRS (n = 329), and ED_Both (n = 93) groups, respectively. Results During the median follow-up of 18.2 months, overall death rate (17%, 22%, 20%, and 29%, P 200 ms and QRS ≥120 ms was independently associated with in-hospital death ( P P = .03), cardiac device implantation ( P P Conclusions A combined analysis of electrical dyssynchrony markers (PR prolongation and QRS widening) might be useful for short- and long-term risk stratifications of patients with acute HF.