PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF PREOPERATIVE ABNORMAL ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY AMONG OLDER SURGICAL PATIENTS AT SELECTED TEACHING HOSPITALS IN SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA, A MULTICENTER CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, 2022.

ABSTRACT Background: The prevalence of abnormal electrocardiography (ECG) increases with aging, and these abnormalities may have an impact on anesthesia management. Although a normal ECG does not guarantee a healthy heart, an abnormal ECG can quickly identify a patient who is at high risk of cardiac complications. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of preoperative abnormal electrocardiography among older surgical patients at selected teaching hospitals in southern Ethiopia, from February 15 to June 15, 2022. Methodology: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted at three randomly selected teaching hospitals in southern Ethiopia on 246 elderly surgical patients recruited consecutively. Data were entered into Epidata version 4.6, then exported and analyzed in STATA version 16. A binary logistic regression model was used to examine factors associated with abnormal ECG, and variables with a P-value < 0.2 were entered into the multivariate analysis to identify independent factors. Both crude and adjusted odds ratios were reported, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The data were presented accordingly using numbers, frequencies, tables, charts, and figures. Result: In the current study, 120 (48.78%) of older surgical patients had abnormal preoperative ECGs. In terms of severity, 55.3% were classified as minor, while 44.16% were major ECG abnormalities. The most common ECG abnormalities were left axis deviation (LAD), left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), and ST segment changes. The presence of comorbidity (AOR=3.44, P =0.001), age ≥70 years (AOR=2.5, P=0.011), history of angina (AOR=5.9, P=0.011), history of smoking (AOR=5.07, P=0.024) and urban residency (AOR=1.89, P=0.039) were the strongest risk factors for an abnormal ECG. Conclusion and recommendation: Our study showed that the prevalence of preoperative abnormal ECGs increased with age, even in asymptomatic patients with no risk factors in patients younger than 65 years. Therefore, a preoperative ECG is advisable in all older patients, including those under 65 years of age without risk factors. Further prospective cohort studies are needed to investigate the impact and outcome of patients with preoperative abnormal ECG.