Clinical Importance of Tp-e Interval, Tp-e/QT Ratio and Tp-e/QTc Ratio in Blunt Trauma Patients

Objective: Diffirents complications can develop after blunt chest trauma. It has been shown that potentially dectructive arrhythmias may develop after blunt chest trauma. In this study, our main objective is to evaluate the risk of cardiac arrhythmia in patients with blunt chest trauma, using the Tp-e interval, tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio as a potential marker of cardiac arrhythmia. Materials and Methods: Our study consists of all patients who applied to the emergency department with blunt chest trauma between 15.01.2022 and 15.06.2022 in the form of a single-center, prospective case-control. 12-lead ECG documented on were taken from all participants at a paper speed of 50 mm/sec, and Tp-e interval, QT interval and the parameters obtained by their ratio to each other (tp-e/QT, Tp-e/QTc) were compared between the groups. Patients were shared according to trauma severity and parameters were compared. Results: Tpe/QT ratio in trauma patients was found to be statistically significantly higher than the control group (0.23±0.03 vs. 0.19±0.03, p<0.001). In addition, the Tpe/QTc ratio in trauma patients was found to be statistically significantly higher than the control group (0.21±0.02 vs. 0.17±0.02, p<0.001). In addition, when the analysis of age, gender and BMI, which are the factors affecting trauma severity, was performed, no significant difference was found in terms of QT interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc. Conclusıon: Based on the results of our study, we verified that the Tp-e interval in the ECG, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio might indicate possible arrhythmia in patients who presented to the emergency department with blunt thoracic trauma, and this was unrelated to the severity of the trauma.