Fragmented QRS is a marker of mortality in patients with severe COVID-19: A retrospective observational study

Reply to Letter to the Editor: “How Does SARS-CoV-2 Fragment the QRS?”

“… 1 We thank the authors for their interest and thoughtful comments on our study. 2 We would like to answer some questions that the authors wonder about our paper. First, in our study, we did not have a hypothesis that f-QRS occurred due to SARS-CoV-2.…”

How Does SARS-CoV-2 Fragment the QRS?

“…We eagerly read the article by Özdemir et al 1 about a retrospective study of the prognostic impact of QRS fragmentation (f-QRS) in 201 patients with severe COVID-19. It was found that the presence of f-QRS on electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with increased in-hospital all-cause mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 as compared to those without f-QRS.…”

“…It was found that the presence of f-QRS on electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with increased in-hospital all-cause mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 as compared to those without f-QRS. 1 The study is appealing but raises concerns that require discussion.…”

Fragmented QRS Pattern in Patients with COVID-19: Further Insights into Its Temporal and Mechanistic Features

“…Fragmented QRS (f-QRS) pattern has been regarded as a promising electrocardiographic (ECG) risk-stratifier in various clinical conditions including dilated cardiomyopathy, etc. 1 , 2 Pathophysiologically, this phenomenon is uniformly agreed to denote an existing myocardial injury and scar formation leading to an eventual derangement in ventricular depolarization. 1 , 2 In their recently published article, Özdemir et al 1 have documented the prognostic value of f-QRS in the prediction of all-cause mortality in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).…”

“… 1 , 2 Pathophysiologically, this phenomenon is uniformly agreed to denote an existing myocardial injury and scar formation leading to an eventual derangement in ventricular depolarization. 1 , 2 In their recently published article, Özdemir et al 1 have documented the prognostic value of f-QRS in the prediction of all-cause mortality in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Within this context, we would like to make further comments on their study findings and potential implications of f-QRS in the setting of COVID-19.…”