Fragmented QRS duration as a marker of cardiac and hepatic iron overload: across-sectional study

Thalassemia is a group of hematological disorders brought about by defective globin chains synthesis, which can indirectly culminate in hepatic and myocardial cellular damages through iron deposition. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between fragmented QRS duration and liver T2* value. This cross-sectional study was implemented on 36 beta thalassemia major patients in 2024, in Semnan, Iran. The relevant information, including serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels, and T2* values of heart and liver, along with fQRS durations of patients, saved in hospital records, was statistically analyzed using IBM ™ SPSS Statistics application (version 27.0), pursuing a relationship between fQRS duration and liver T2* value. The patients included 23 females and 13 males of Persian ethnicity, holding a mean age of 31.36 ± 7.93 years. Both of hepatic and cardiac T2* values were significantly associated with fQRS duration via a negative linear relationship, with the hepatic T2* value possessing smaller correlation coefficient. In addition, serum ferritin level demonstrated a positive correlation with heart and liver T2* values, as well as fQRS duration. fQRS duration can be used as a non-invasive and convenient marker in patients suffering from beta thalassemia major to assess cardiac and hepatic involvement due to ongoing iron deposition.