Electrocardiographic findings of organophosphate intoxication in emergency department as predictors of prognosis: a retrospective analysis.

To investigate the clinical significance of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings in patients with organophosphate intoxication and to find predictors for prognosis, we reviewed 170 patients whose ECG was taken in the emergency department (ED) from 1981 to 1989. There were 67 cases whose ECG showed prolongation of corrected Q-T interval (QTc). In this group, the mortality rate, respiratory failure rate and frequency of ventricular premature contraction (VPC) were significantly higher than those of patients without QTc prolongation. In the group with presence of VPC, the overall mortality rate and respiratory failure rate were also significantly higher when compared with those without VPC. We concluded that QTc prolongation and the presence of VPCs in patients with organophosphate intoxication may predict their clinical respiratory failure and mortality.