In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), several factors have been associated with a poor prognosis. These include old age, low FEV, low diffusing capacity, high alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure difference, and finally cor pulmonale. This study was done to investigate in the ECG signs suggesting cor pulmonale were independent prognostic factors in patients with COPD.

We analyzed ECG, pulmonary function data and arterial blood gas values in 61 patients who were admitted through the emergency department with an acute exacerbation of COPD. The ECG signs reflecting cor pulmonale were right atrial overloading(RAO), right bundle branch block, right ventricular hypertrophy and low-voltage QRS. The 61 patients were divided into 2 groups, group I with no ECG signs(n=36) and group II with one or more ECG signs(n=25) suggesting cor pulmonale.

Poor prognostic factors by univariate analysis were low FEV1, FEV1 % pred., VC% pred., DLco, DLco % pred., PaO2 and SaO2 high PaCO2 presence of ECG signs reflecting cor pulmonale, presence of mental status change, use of mechanical ventilator, and long tern use of glucocorticoid. A multivariate analysis indicated that age(risk ratio=1.13, 95% confidence interval 1.05~1.23), Dlco % pred. (risk ratio=0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.94~0.99), PaO2 (risk ratio=0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.90~0.99) and RAO(risk ratio=5.27, 95% confidence interval 1.40~19.85) were independent prognostic factors of survival. There was a significant difference in survival between the patients with and without RAO(p=0.038). The survival rates at 1, 2, and 5 years were 94.5%. 81.4%, and 50.0% in patients without RAO and 82.4%, 70.6%, and 27.5% in patients with RAO, respectively.

These results suggest that the presence of ECG signs reflecting cor pulmonale is a predictor of survival and that RAO of these ECG signs is a significant independent predictor of survival in patients with COPD.