Nazim Hussain Bokhari.
Reliability of ECG findings in Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases.
Proceeding Shaikh Zayed Postgrad Med Inst Jan ;17(2):75-78.

Electrocardiographs from ninety seven patients with clinically established chronic bronchitis, emphysema and corpulmonale were studied. Correlation between ECG findings and clinical diagnosis was studied. Thirty eight patients had normal ECG; among these, 19 (50%) had simple chronic bronchitis, 13 (34%) had emphysema and 6 (16%) belonged to corpulmonale having obvious clinical signs of right heart failure. Whereas 37 ECGs showed changes compatible with emphysema, only 17(46%) of these had clinically correlated emphysema. Among 18 ECGs showing typical pattern of right ventricular enlargement (RVE); 15(83%) had associated clinical Corpulmonale. ECG criteria of RVE was observed in 50% of the patients who were clinically diagnosed to have Corpulmonale. 54% of Chronic Bronchitis, 40.6% of Emphysema and 20% of clinically obvious Corpulmonale had normal ECGs. Sensitivity of ECG finding for Chronic Bronchitis, Emphysema and Corpulmonale was 64%, 41% and 50% respectively; whereas specificity was 50%, 38% and 83% resp ectively. In conclusion sensitivity and specificity of ECG findings is low for both Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema; whereas for Corpulmonale, sensitivity is also low but specificity is very high (83%).

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