Eastern J Med. 2025; 30(4): 648-652 | DOI: 10.5505/ejm.2025.27482

Effects of acute sleep deprivation on repolarisation parameters

Fulya Avci Demir¹, Emre Özmen², Serkan Ünlü³, umit acar⁴, Haþim Tüner², Volkan Çamkýran⁵, yasin cakilli², Ibrahim Sari², Ozge Ozden², Emrah Erdogan⁶, Emir özgürbarýþ Ökçün⁴, Gulsum Bingol^7
1Department of Cardiology, Istinye University Medical Faculty, Ýstanbul, Turkey
²Department Of Cardiology,Memorial Bahcelievler Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
³Department of Cardiology, Gazi University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey
⁴Department Of Cardiology,Istanbul Unýversýty-Cerrahpasa,The Instýtute Of Cardýology,Istanbul, Turkey
⁵Department Of Cardiology,Göztepe Medical Park Hospital / Istanbul /Turkey
⁶Department Of Cardiology,Van Yüzüncü Yil University Medical Faculty,Van,Turkey
⁷Department of Cardiology,Arel Unýversýty,Istanbul,Turkey

INTRODUCTION: Acute sleep deprivation is associated with various adverse physiological consequences, such as dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system and adverse cardiovascular events. Markers of ventricular repolarisation are widely accepted in clinical practice to assess the risk of developing malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to investigate the arrhythmogenic potential of acute sleep deprivation.


METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study conducted in a single centre to investigate the relationship between acute sleep deprivation and ECG parameters. The included subjects did not have any acute or chronic diseases and ECG abnormalities. A 12-lead ECG was performed after a sleepless period of 24 hours after the night shift and after seven days of normal sleep following the night shift. The 12-lead ECG was recorded using a Philips PageWriter TC20 at a rate of 50 mm/sec and ECG parameters evaluated included Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios, frontal QRS-T angle, PR, QT, QTc and Tp-e intervals.
RESULTS: Fifty-nine nurses were included in the study. Qt and QTc duration, mean Tp-e and corrected Tp-e intervals were prolonged after acute sleep deprivation. In addition, Tp-e/Qt ratio and Tp-e/QTc were found to be longer after acute sleep deprivation compared to after normal sleep.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that acute sleep deprivation has a significant effect on ECG parameters, especially on repolarisation-related ECG parameters, but not on depolarisation parameters

Keywords: Electrocardiography, repolarisation, sleep deprivation, Tp-e, QTc interval

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