Background: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) arises from impaired ventricular depolarization due to heterogeneous electrical activation of ischemic and/or infarcted ventricular myocardium. The short- and long-term prognostic values of fQRS have been reported for myocardial infarction, heart failure, fatal cardiac arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of admission fQRS complex for in-hospital cardiovascular mortality of patients with type 1 acute aortic dissection (AAD).

Methods: In this retrospective study, 203 consecutive patients with type 1 AAD who had been admitted to either of two large-volume tertiary hospitals between December 2008 and October 2013 were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of the fQRS complex on admission.

Results: In-hospital cardiovascular mortality (P < 0.001), major adverse cardiovascular events (P < 0.001), acute renal failure (P = 0.022), multiorgan dysfunction (P < 0.001), and acute decompensated heart failure (P < 0.001) were observed to be significantly more frequent in the fQRS-positive group than in the fQRS-negative group. fQRS (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 4.184 [1.927-9.082], P < 0.001), operation duration (4.184 [1.927-9.082], P = 0.001), and Killip class IV (3.900 [1.699-8.955], P = 0.001) were found to be significant independent predictors of in-hospital cardiovascular mortality after adjustment of other risk factors in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: fQRS is a simple, inexpensive, and readily available electrocardiographic entity that provides an additional risk stratification level beyond that provided by conventional risk parameters in predicting in-hospital cardiovascular mortality in type 1 AAD.