The Effect of Chest Computed Tomography Findings on QT Interval in
Patients with COVID 19 Using Drugs That May Prolong QT Interval
Abstract
Background Some drugs used in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) are likely to increase the risk of QT interval prolongation
and related arrhythmias or death. Due to the low sensitivity of the
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, chest
computed tomography (CT) imaging is being used for COVID-19 diagnostic
correlation and to evaluate whether there is pneumonic involvement in
the lung. Objective In this study, we aimed to compare whether there was
a difference in terms of QT interval prolongation and effect on heart
rate in COVID-19 patients based on their chest CT findings and drug
treatment regimes. Methods This was a single-center retrospective cohort
study of non-intensive care unit (ICU) patients hospitalized . A total
of 344 patients with a mean age of 46.34 ± 17.68 years were included in
the study (56.1% men). Patients were divided into four groups according
to their chest CT results as having typical, atypical, indeterminate, or
no finding of pneumonic involvement. Mean QTc intervals and heart rates
calculated from electrocardiograms at admission and after treatment were
compared. Results There were no significant differences between groups
with regards to age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). There were also
no significant differences between the groups in terms of mean QTc
interval values upon admission (p:0.127) or after treatment (p:0.205).
Heart rate values were similar among the groups as well, with no
significant differences in mean heart rate on admission (p:0.648) and
post-treatment (p:0.229) ECGs. Conclusion This study has demonstrated
finding of COVID-19 infection based on chest CT does not affect QT
interval prolongation and bradycardia in non-ICU COVID-19 patients.
There is a need for additional larger studies investigating the effect
of chest CT findings on QT interval prolongation and bradycardia in
COVID-19 patients.