Racial differences in echocardiographic and electrocardiographic parameters in an indigent and ethnically diverse population.The objective of this investigation is to determine if differences occur in several important parameters of electrocardiographic electrocardiographic emanating from or pertaining to electrocardiography. electrocardiographic monitoring maintenance of a more or less continuous surveillance of a patient's cardiac status by means of electrocardiography. (ECG) and echocardiographic (Echo) data that affects the mortality and morbidity in an indigent population. The study population includes 399 consecutive patients who presented to the echo lab, 254 African-American and 145 Caucasian, with data collected from standard 12 lead ECG: QRS duration (QRS), QTc Interval (QTc) and from M-mode Echo left ventricular systolic Systolic The phase of blood circulation in which the heart's pumping chambers (ventricles) are actively pumping blood. The ventricles are squeezing (contracting) forcefully, and the pressure against the walls of the arteries is at its highest. function (LVEF LVEF Left ventricular ejection fraction. See Ejection fraction. ), interventricular septal septal /sep·tal/ (sep´tal) pertaining to a septum. sep·tal adj. Of or relating to a septum or septa. thickness (IVS), posterior left ventricular wall thickness (PLVW), left ventricular end diastolic Diastolic The phase of blood circulation in which the heart's pumping chambers (ventricles) are being filled with blood. During this phase, the ventricles are at their most relaxed, and the pressure against the walls of the arteries is at its lowest. dimension (LVED), left ventricular end systolic dimension (LVES). African-American patients have significantly thicker ventricular walls. Perhaps secondary to higher prevalence of untreated or poorly treated hypertension or genetic differences, African-American patients were noted to have greater wall thickness for similar heart size. However, this difference does not manifest in ECG parameters, QRS, which would have indicated loss of cardiac ventricular synchrony. Patrick R. Krake and Neeraj Tandon. LSUHSC--Shreveport, Department of Cardiology, Shreveport, LA. |
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