Echocardiographic and Electrocardiographic Predictors of Adverse Outcomes in Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis.

Background: Patients with cirrhosis who develop Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP) suffer from cirrhotic cardiomyopathy which is characterized by impaired contractility in response to stress despite a relatively normal resting cardiac output. We hypothesized that electrocardiographic and echocardiographic information would help prognosticate patients developing SBP in addition to existing scoring systems.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients admitted to Einstein Medical Center from 01/01/2005 to 6/30/2012 for SBP, and did not receive a transplant within one year, were included. Patients were classified as QTc low vs. high, and E / E ' low vs. high at cut points ≥480 ms for QTc and ≥10 for E / E ' ratio. We estimated 1-year survival using Kaplan Meier curves. Regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were used for QTc and E / E ' ratio, respectively, for assessing 1-year survival.

Results: Among 112 patients with electrocardiogam, 78 were classified as QTc low. Among 64 patients with echocardiograms, 23 were classified as E / E ' low. Higher QTc was associated with increased in-hospital acute kidney injury. QTc and E / E ' ratio predicted worse 1-year survival (HR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.29-3.49; HR 2.65, 95% CI 1.31-5.35, respectively) on univariate and multivariate analysis (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03; HR = 3.26, 95% CI 1.22-9.82 respectively) after adjusting for both Child Pugh stage, MELD score among other risk factors.

Conclusion: In conclusion, cirrhotic patients with SBP who present with a prolonged QTc interval are at a greater risk for acute renal failure during hospitalization. High QTc duration and an E / E ' ratio of ≥10 independently predict increased mortality at 1-year follow-up.