Key result
Short-term treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in COVID-19 patients significantly increased the index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) from 4.06 to 4.29 (p=0.013).
Why the study?
The index of cardiac electrophysiological balance provides more information than conventional ECG parameters, but its status during hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in COVID-19 patients required evaluation.
Does hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin therapy alter the index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) in patients with mild COVID-19?
Cross-Sectional (n=63)
No
Does hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin therapy alter the index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) in patients with mild COVID-19?
Absolute Event Rate: 4.29% vs 4.06%
p-value: p=0.013
Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in mild COVID-19 patients significantly increases iCEB and iCEBc despite no significant changes in standard QT/cQT intervals, suggesting its potential utility as an early marker for arrhythmia monitoring.
iCEB may aid arrhythmia monitoring during short-term COVID-19 therapy; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical adoption.
Objective: Index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) is a relatively new electrocardiographic (ECG) parameter that shows the balance between ventricular depolarization and repolarization, thus providing more information than other conventional ECG parameters such as QT and corrected QT (cQT) intervals. This study aimed to evaluate the condition of iCEB with the treatment of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin used in COVID-19 patients. Method: The study was designed as cross-sectional and descriptive. Sixty three (52 male, 28.4 ± 10.7 years) COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment between 30 March and 30 June 2020 were included in the study. iCEB and corrected iCEB (iCEBc) values were calculated by dividing the respective QT and cQT intervals by the QRS duration. Results: In the study group, the mean PR, QRS, QT and cQT intervals were similar between groups. While heart rate was significantly higher before treatment, iCEB and iCEBc increased significantly after treatment. Conclusions: Our study did not observe a significant difference in QT and cQT intervals with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in COVID-19. Still, there was a significant increase in the iCEB and iCEBc. We believe that the cardiac electrophysiological balance index can be used to monitor arrhythmias in patients undergoing short-term treatment at COVID -19.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Ardahanlı et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in COVID-19 (n=63). Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin vs. Pre-treatment baseline was evaluated on Index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) (p=0.013). Short-term treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in COVID-19 patients significantly increased the index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (iCEB) from 4.06 to 4.29 (p=0.013).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: