Does corrected QT interval prolongation increase mortality and length of hospitalization in acutely ill patients?
QT prolongation is highly prevalent (24%) in acutely ill patients and is associated with significantly increased odds of mortality and longer hospital stays.
We find QT prolongation to be common (24%), with Torsade de Pointes representing 6% of in-hospital cardiac arrests. Predictors of QT prolongation in the acutely ill population are similar to those previously identified in ambulatory populations. Acutely ill patients with QT prolongation have longer lengths of hospitalization and nearly three times the odds for mortality then those without QT prolongation.
Pickham et al. (Sat,) studied this question.