The Q-T Interval in Chronic Cor Pulmonale

In 13 patients in whom the diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale was made after careful physiologic studies, the Q-T interval was found to be within normal limits regardless of the presence or absence of cardiac failure. The finding is in sharp contrast to the prolongation of this interval in the more common types of heart disease, as exemplified by a group of 14 patients with hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease. Measurement of the Q-T interval therefore may be useful in differentiating pure chronic cor pulmonale from other types of heart disease with congestive failure.