Resistance to ventricular fibrillation predicted by the QRS/QTc - Ratio in an intact rat model of hypothermia/rewarming

Accidental hypothermia is associated with increased risk for arrhythmias. QRS/QTc proposed as an ECG-marker, where decreasing values predict hypothermia-induced ventricular If reliable it should also nonappearance of arrhythmias, observed in species like rat that regularly tolerate prolonged hypothermia. A model designed studying cardiovascular function during cooling, and subsequent rewarming was chosen due to species-dependent resistance ECG recorded throughout the protocol. No arrhythmias occurred experiments. cooling period remained above normothermic baseline until rewarmed. Different from high incidence accidental patients, ratio decreased moderate hypothermia; rats not fibrillation. This lethal predicted by QRS/QTc.