The author responds:
I would like to thank Dr. Ozdemir for his interest and critique of our article (1). However, I would like to respond to these criticisms.
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1.
In the literature, there is no study in which the frontal QRS-T angle value was investigated in COVID-19 patients and a certain cutoff value was determined. Therefore, in our study, a control group was needed to show that the frontal QRS-T angle value increased. In addition, we think that the presence of a control group has a positive effect on the contribution of the study to the literature. In our study, the frontal QRS-T angle value was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group compared to the control group.
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2.
In the method part of the article, there is the following sentence about the patient and control group: ‘The control group consisted of people who were similar to the patient group in terms of demographic characteristics and comorbid factors.’ In our study, while choosing the people in the control group, care was taken to ensure that they were similar in terms of age, gender, comorbid factors, etc. Since the demographic characteristics of the COVID-19 group are given separately in Table 1, comorbid conditions are not included in Table 2. No statistical difference was found between these two groups. (p values between the patient group and the control group; COPD: 0.743, Heart Failure: 0.952, CAD: 0.467).
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3.
In addition, in our univariate regression analysis to determine possible risk factors for COVID-19; No significant results were also obtained when COPD, CAD, and Heart failure were included. This may be due to the small number of patients. Due to the limited number of patients, these parameters were not included in the relevant table. (Univariate regression analysis, P values of COPD, CAD and Heart failure parameters, respectively: p = 0.130, p = 0.275, p = 0.631)
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4.
In the literature, there are many studies investigating the relationship between scoring systems and diseases. In previous studies, it was reported that a cut-off value of ≥2 in CURB-65 score has high sensitivity and specificity for demonstrating clinical severity and prognosis of COVID-19 patients (2,3). This feature of the CURB-65 score is also explained in the method section of the article.
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5.
If our findings are supported by studies with larger patient groups; We think that the frontal QRS-T angle value can be used effectively in clinical practice as a mortality and prognosis marker in COVID-19 patients.
Thanks and respects
Availability of data and materials
Yes.
Ethical approval
Yes.
İnformed consent
Yes.
Compliance with human rights
Yes.
Declaration of Competing Interest
None declared.
References
- 1.Ocak M., Tascanov M.B., Yurt N.Ş., Yurt Y.C. A new predictor for indicating clinical severity and prognosis in COVID-19 patients: frontal QRS-T angle. Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Dec;50:631–635. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.046. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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- 3.Guo J., Zhou B., Zhu M., Yuan Y., Wang Q., Zhou H., et al. CURB-65 may serve as a useful prognostic marker in COVID-19 patients within Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Epidemiol Infect. 2020 Oct 1;(148) doi: 10.1017/S0950268820002368. e241. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Data Availability Statement
Yes.