Electrocardiographic changes in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract

Introduction: for the last hundred years the relationship between hemorrhagic cerebrovascular events and electrocardiographic alterations has been studied, as well as their significance as a prognostic factor for mortality.
Objective: to characterize the electrocardiographic alterations in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage at their arrival to the Emergency Room.
Material and Method: an observational descriptive and transverse study was carried out between January 2010 and December 2011 in "Comandante Manuel Fajardo" University Hospital.
Results: it was found a predominance of females, with an average age of 70 years. The most frequent electrocardiographic alterations were sinus tachycardia, sinus bradycardia, and flat or inverted T waves. Around two thirds of the patients with these changes died in the hospital. Conclusions: nearly 50% of patients presented with electrocardiographic anomalies on admittance. They prevailed in female patients and a statistically significant difference was found between them and adverse outcomes.

 Key words: intracerebral hemorrhage, hemorrhagic strokes, electrocardiographic alterations, prognostic scales, stroke lethality.