Electrocardiographic Changes in Head Injuries

Abstract

Electrocardiograms of 164 Bantu patients with head trauma were recorded and studied with reference to two control groups, 100 Bantu patients with trauma to limbs and 164 healthy Bantu subjects. The electrocardiographic abnormalities that occurred more commonly in the head injury group than in either of the control groups were an increased Q-T_c interval and an increased voltage of the P wave. Both traumatic groups differed from the healthy controls in showing a higher incidence of increased QRS voltage and raised S-T segments in precordial leads, inverted T waves in precordial leads V₄ to V_6, U waves of more than 1 mm. in height, sinus arrhythmia with fixed pacemaker, and sinus arrhythmia with pacemaker wandering in the sinoatrial node. The number of electrocardiographic abnormalities increased as the level of consciousness deteriorated.