Fragmented QRS and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous intervention for ST ‐elevation myocardial infarction: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background Fragmented QRS reflects disturbances in the myocardium predisposing the heart to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Recent studies suggest that fragmented QRS (fQRS) is associated with mortality in ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature has not been done. We assessed the association between fQRS and overall mortality in STEMI patients who subsequently underwent PCI by a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods We comprehensively searched the databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to September 2017. Studies included in our analysis were published cohort (prospective or retrospective) and case–control studies that compared overall mortality among STEMI patient with and without fQRS who underwent PCI. Data from each study were combined using the random‐effects, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian, and Laird to calculate risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results Six studies from 2014 to 2017 were included in this meta‐analysis involving 2,516 subjects with STEMI who underwent PCI (888 fQRS and 1,628 non‐fQRS). Fragmented QRS was associated with overall mortality in STEMI patients who underwent PCI (pooled risk ratio = 3.87; 95% CI 1.96–7.66, I2 = 43%). Conclusion Fragmented QRS was associated with increased overall mortality up to threefold. Our study suggests that fQRS could be an important tool for risk assessment in STEMI patients who underwent PCI.