Background: The association of end stage renal disease with atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias is well documented. The aim of this study was to investigate whether kidney transplantation has any effect on P wave dispersion, a predictor of atrial fibrillation and corrected QT interval dispersion, T wave peak-end (Tp-e) interval, and Tp-e/corrected QT ratio, which are predictors of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with end stage renal disease.
Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study, a total of 234 subjects (125 kidney transplantation, 109 controls) were examined. P wave dispersion, corrected QT dispersion, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/corrected QT ratio values before and 3rd, 6th and 12th months after the transplantation were calculated and compared in patients with kidney transplantation. Baseline values of control group were compared to the 12th months values of transplant subjects.
Results: There was a statistically significant decline in P wave dispersion, corrected QT dispersion, Tp-e interval, Tp-e/corrected QT ratio values among preoperative, 3rd, 6th and 12th months (p<0.001 for all comparisons). However, P wave dispersion, corrected QT dispersion, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/corrected QT ratio values of transplant group at 12th months were significantly higher than baseline values of the control group (p<0.001, for all comparisons).
Conclusion: P wave dispersion, corrected QT dispersion, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/corrected QT ratio were shown to be attenuated after transplantation, although they remained higher than the healthy subjects. These results indirectly offer that there may be a reduction in risk of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias after transplantation.