Study of Electrocardiography and Echocardiography changes in patients of acute cerebrovascular accidents presenting to the Emergency Department

Abstract

Cardiac abnormalities commonly accompany Acute Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). This heart-brain interaction is reflected in the echocardiography and electrocardiographic changes. There is limited data on the assessments in the emergency ward of Indian hospitals. This study aims to evaluate the patterns of cardiac presentations among cases of CVA. The study was prospective observational in nature. The sample size was 67. All cases were above 18 years of age. All cases with any form of stroke underwent 12 lead ECG and an echo. Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test analysed the associations between stroke type and the cardiac findings. All p-values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. The mean age of cases was 57.9 years. More males were affected, and cases of ischemic stroke were higher (53.7%). Abnormality with cardiac findings was seen with 94% cases. Left ventricular dysfunction was predominant. Across the stroke subtypes, cardiac findings did not differ statistically. There is a higher prevalence of cardiac abnormalities among acute CVA cases. Routine cardiac evaluation should be carried out among patients before transferring them further to departments. Early treatment will help to prevent complications and reduce mortality rates.