Electrocardiogram analysis of patients with different types of COVID‐19

Wang, Yina; Chen, Lie; Wang, Jingyi; He, Xingwei; Huang, Fen; Chen, Jing; Yang, Xiaoyun

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causes acute myocardial damage and arrhythmia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. Studying the changes of electrocardiogram is of great significance for the diagnosis of patients with COVID‐19. METHODS: A retrospective analysis method was adopted to compare the electrocardiogram changes between COVID‐19 critically severe and severe patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the correlation of the levels of serum indexes and past medical history with ST‐T changes and atrial fibrillation. And the correlation of ECG parameters with in‐hospital death and ventilator use were investigated by using the same methods. RESULTS: The incidence of male, stroke, elevated cardiac troponin I (cTnI), N‐terminal of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), d‐dimer, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), hyperkalemia, and hypocalcemia in the critically ill patients was higher than that in severe patients. There were differences in ST‐T changes, sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial tachycardia between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated cTnI and NT‐proBNP were the independent risk factors of ST‐T changes. Elevated NT‐proBNP and age were the independent risk factors of atrial fibrillation. Sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation were the independent risk factors of in‐hospital death and ventilator use. CONCLUSION: ST‐T changes, sinus tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation are with great significance in the diagnosis of the severity, myocardia injury, and cardiac insufficiency of COVID‐19 patients. Sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation could be used as independent variables predicting in‐hospital death and ventilator use.