Investigating the Short-Term Changes of the Electrocardiogram Indicators During Hospitalization in Patients With COVID-19 Following the Use of Tocilizumab

IF 0.9 4区医学 Q4 CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS

Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology Pub Date : 2026-09-21 DOI:10.1111/anec.70221

Mahdi Zahedi, Golnaz Houshmand, Tabassom Hosseini

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate short-term changes in electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters after tocilizumab administration in COVID-19 patients, considering the drug's role in treating severe cases and the involvement of IL-6 in cardiovascular effects and ECG alterations.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we assessed cardiovascular and electrocardiographic parameters in PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients who received tocilizumab. ECG variables were evaluated at two time points: 24 h before and 24 h after drug administration. All ECGs were verified by a supervisor, and demographic information was extracted from patient records.

Results

33 patients were included, of whom 36.4% were men. The patients' ages ranged from 37 to 79 years. The corrected QT interval (QTc) measured 24 h before (QTc1) and 24 h after (QTc2) tocilizumab administration showed no significant difference (QTc1: 390.3 ± 31.67 ms; QTc2: 392.73 ± 36.68 ms). No significant ECG changes were observed in the ST segment, ventricular fibrillation (VF), ventricular tachycardia (VT), or atrial fibrillation (AF). Four patients experienced cardiorespiratory arrest within 24 h after receiving tocilizumab.

Conclusion

Tocilizumab administration in critically ill COVID-19 patients was not associated with significant short-term ECG changes or specific cardiovascular complications. Although previous studies in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis have reported QTc shortening following tocilizumab treatment, likely through suppression of IL-6-mediated systemic inflammation, no significant QTc reduction was observed in our cohort during the 24-h follow-up period. A few cases of cardiorespiratory arrest occurred; a causal relationship with tocilizumab could not be established due to the severity of illness and limited clinical data.

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研究使用托珠单抗治疗COVID-19患者住院期间心电图指标的短期变化

目的：考虑托珠单抗治疗重症患者的作用以及IL-6参与心血管作用和心电图改变，评估托珠单抗治疗后COVID-19患者心电图参数的短期变化。方法：在这项回顾性研究中，我们评估了pcr确诊的接受托珠单抗治疗的COVID-19患者的心血管和心电图参数。在给药前24 h和给药后24 h两个时间点评估心电图变量。所有心电图均由一名主管核实，并从患者记录中提取人口统计信息。结果：纳入33例患者，其中男性占36.4%。患者年龄37 ~ 79岁。用药前24 h （QTc1）与用药后24 h （QTc2）校正QT间期（QTc）差异无统计学意义（QTc1: 390.3±31.67 ms; QTc2: 392.73±36.68 ms）。ST段、室性颤动（VF）、室性心动过速（VT）、房颤（AF）无明显心电图改变。4例患者在接受托珠单抗后24小时内出现心肺骤停。结论：重症COVID-19患者给予托珠单抗与显著的短期心电图改变或特异性心血管并发症无关。尽管先前在炎症性疾病（如类风湿关节炎）的研究报道了tocilizumab治疗后QTc缩短，可能是通过抑制il -6介导的全身性炎症，但在我们的队列中，在24小时随访期间未观察到明显的QTc降低。少数病例发生心肺骤停；由于疾病的严重程度和有限的临床数据，无法确定与tocilizumab的因果关系。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology 医学-心血管系统

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The ANNALS OF NONINVASIVE ELECTROCARDIOLOGY (A.N.E) is an online only journal that incorporates ongoing advances in the clinical application and technology of traditional and new ECG-based techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients. ANE is the first journal in an evolving subspecialty that incorporates ongoing advances in the clinical application and technology of traditional and new ECG-based techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients. The publication includes topics related to 12-lead, exercise and high-resolution electrocardiography, arrhythmias, ischemia, repolarization phenomena, heart rate variability, circadian rhythms, bioengineering technology, signal-averaged ECGs, T-wave alternans and automatic external defibrillation. ANE publishes peer-reviewed articles of interest to clinicians and researchers in the field of noninvasive electrocardiology. Original research, clinical studies, state-of-the-art reviews, case reports, technical notes, and letters to the editors will be published to meet future demands in this field.