The effect of coronavirus infection on QT and QTc intervals of hospitalized patients in Qazvin, Iran

Electrocardiographic (ECG) changes have been investigated in the condition of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) indicating that COVID-19 infection exacerbates arrhythmias and triggers conduction abnormalities. However, the specific type of ECG abnormalities in COVID-19 and their impact on mortality fail to have been fully elucidated. The present retrospective, tertiary care hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of all patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Booali Sina Hospital in Qazvin, Iran from March to July 2020. Demographic information, length of hospital stay, treatment outcome, and electrocardiographic information (heart rate, QTc interval, arrhythmias, and blocks) were extracted from the medical records of the patients. Finally, a total of 231 patients were enrolled in the study. Atrial fibrillation was a common arrhythmia, and the left anterior fascicular block was a common cardiac conduction defect other than sinus arrhythmia. The deceased patients were significantly older than the recovered ones (71 ± 14 vs. 57 ± 16 years, p