TY - JOUR
T1 - Meta-analysis of fragmented QRS as an electrocardiographic predictor for arrhythmic events in patients with Brugada syndrome
AU - Meng, Lei
AU - Letsas, Konstantinos P.
AU - Baranchuk, Adrian
AU - Shao, Qingmiao
AU - Tse, Gary
AU - Zhang, Nixiao
AU - Zhang, Zhiwei
AU - Hu, Dan
AU - Li, Guangping
AU - Liu, Tong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Meng, Letsas, Baranchuk, Shao,Tse, Zhang, Zhang, Hu, Li and Liu.
PY - 2017/9/12
Y1 - 2017/9/12
N2 - Fragmented QRS (fQRS) is an electrocardiographic marker related to ventricular fibrillation (VF) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in various clinical settings. Current data regarding the prognostic significance of fQRS in Brugada syndrome (BrS) are contradictory. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the presence of fQRS as a risk stratification tool in BrS. Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) were searched until May 2016. Eight observational studies accumulating data on 1,637 BrS patients (mean age: 47 ± 11 years) were included in this meta-analysis. The mean follow-up duration ranged from 21 to 96 months. fQRS was found to be an independent predictor of future arrhythmic events in BrS (RR:3.88, 95% CI 2.26 to 6.65, p < 0.00001) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 54%, P = 0.03). When analyzing VF as independent end-point, the RR for VF was 3.61, and its 95% CI was 2.11 to 6.18, p < 0.00001. This meta-analysis showed that BrS patients with fQRS are at high risk for future arrhythmic events. The presence of fQRS warrants prospective evaluation as valid arrhythmogenic risk marker in BrS.
AB - Fragmented QRS (fQRS) is an electrocardiographic marker related to ventricular fibrillation (VF) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in various clinical settings. Current data regarding the prognostic significance of fQRS in Brugada syndrome (BrS) are contradictory. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the presence of fQRS as a risk stratification tool in BrS. Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) were searched until May 2016. Eight observational studies accumulating data on 1,637 BrS patients (mean age: 47 ± 11 years) were included in this meta-analysis. The mean follow-up duration ranged from 21 to 96 months. fQRS was found to be an independent predictor of future arrhythmic events in BrS (RR:3.88, 95% CI 2.26 to 6.65, p < 0.00001) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 54%, P = 0.03). When analyzing VF as independent end-point, the RR for VF was 3.61, and its 95% CI was 2.11 to 6.18, p < 0.00001. This meta-analysis showed that BrS patients with fQRS are at high risk for future arrhythmic events. The presence of fQRS warrants prospective evaluation as valid arrhythmogenic risk marker in BrS.
KW - Arrhythmic events
KW - Brugada syndrome
KW - Fragmented QRS
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Predictor
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029681182&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fphys.2017.00678
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2017.00678
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85029681182
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
JF - Frontiers in Physiology
IS - SEP
M1 - 678
ER -