The prevalence of fragmented QRS and its relationship with left ventricular systolic function in chronic kidney disease

Objective To investigate the prevalence of fragmented QRS (fQRS) on electrocardiograms (ECG) in patients with different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to examine the association between fQRS and left ventricular systolic function. Methods This retrospective study analysed clinical and laboratory data from consecutive patients with CKD. The relationship between fQRS and left ventricular systolic function was evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results A total of 310 patients (186 males; mean +/- SD age, 52.24 +/- 15.72 years) with CKD participated in this study. The prevalence of fQRS was 30.32% (94 of 310 patients). The prevalence of fQRS was more common in the inferior leads (53.19%; 50 of 94) compared with the anterior leads (21.28%; 20 of 94) and the lateral leads (25.53%; 24 of 94). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that left ventricular ejection fraction (odds ratio [OR] 1.356; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.022, 2.036) and coronary artery disease (OR 2.355; 95% CI 1.056, 5.251) were independent risk factors of fQRS in patients with CKD. Conclusion The fQRS was prevalent in patients with CKD regardless of the CKD stage.