Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant global health concern affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Cardiac arrhythmias are highly prevalent in CKD patients, with sudden cardiac death (SCD) representing a substantial cause of mortality, accounting for approximately 25% of all deaths in this patient group. Our hypothesis was that hemodialysis (HD) patients have an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and SCD. Methods: This single-center observational study enrolled 219 participants: 109 patients undergoing HD and 110 in the control group. A 12-lead resting electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed before and after dialysis in all patients on HD and once in the control groups. Results: The T peak-T end (Tp-e) interval duration (p=0.001), Tp-e/QT ratio (p=0.001), and Tp-e/corrected QT (QTc) ratio (p=0.001) were significantly higher in the HD patients than in the control group. There was no significant difference in Tp-e dispersion (p=0.806) between the groups. Correlation analysis revealed significant correlations between parathyroid hormone levels and the Tp-e interval (p=0.001), Tp-e/ QT ratio (p=0.017), Tp-e/QTc ratio (p=0.006), and QTc interval (p=0.020) in HD patients. QT, QTc, and Tp-e durations, as well as QT/QRS, QTc/QRS, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QT ratios, were found to be higher in post-dialysis ECGs than in pre-dialysis ECGs. Conclusion: The resting ECG findings were analyzed in patients with HD and a predisposition to arrhythmias, and SCD was identified in this cohort.
Mağden et al. (Fri,) studied this question.