An electrocardiographic study was made on 42 cases of pulmonary emphysema and 26 cases of cor pulmonale secondary to the former, and in 13 cases of cor pulmonale, a correlative study was done between electrocardiographic findings and timed vital capac...
An electrocardiographic study was made on 42 cases of pulmonary emphysema and 26 cases of cor pulmonale secondary to the former, and in 13 cases of cor pulmonale, a correlative study was done between electrocardiographic findings and timed vital capacity, and maximal breathing capacity.
Prolongation of P-R interval, right axis deviation, right atrial enlargement(P-pulmonale), ST segment and T wave changes, clockwise rotation of the heart and presence of rS pattern in all the precordial leads were more common in cor pulmonale than in pulmonary emphysema.
Complete or incomplete right bundle branch block and right ventricular hypertrophy were seen only in cor pulmonale, whereas left axis deviation, left ventricular hypertrophy and horizontal position of the heart were seen only in pulmonary emphysema.
Incidences of prominent T-a wave, gothic P wave, negativity of the P wave in _aV_L, prolongation of Q-T interval and vertical or semivertical heart position showed no significant difference pulmonary emphysema and cor pulmonale.
Electrocardiographic findings were not closely correlated with timed vital capacity and maximal breathing capacity in either disease entities.