Height of a QRS complex

[Tonino]

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question about cardiophys. I was reading a review about how ECGs can't be used to assess how strong the heart is working. But from what I learned, the height of a QRS complex (as in how high the R goes) tells you strength of ventricular muscle contraction. What is correct? I seem to be getting two different schools of thought on this.

 

[dfib slim]

You can measure hypertrophy with the QRS amplitude but just because the muscle is hypertrophied, doesn't mean it's working hard. It's an electricity signal, not a mechanical one. You can be in PEA but still have QRS complexes.

 

[Jabbed]

question about cardiophys. I was reading a review about how ECGs can't be used to assess how strong the heart is working. But from what I learned, the height of a QRS complex (as in how high the R goes) tells you strength of ventricular muscle contraction. What is correct? I seem to be getting two different schools of thought on this.

What exactly do you mean by strong? Ejection fraction? Contractility? Stroke volume? Heart rate/rhythm? Absence of structural abnormalitie?

EKGs cannot give you any measure of the first three and are not a reliable indication of the fifth. Large amplitude QRS is classically associated with pathologic hypertrophy and gives you an idea of the electrophysiological vector.

 

[Tonino]

Thanks guys. I see where I was misunderstanding now.