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Despite the lack of supporting data, many clinics perform sheath removal 4-6 hours after femoral percutaneous coronary intervention to reduce the risk of possible access site complications. This study aims to examine the effects of sheath removal immediately after the procedure on access site complications and patient comfort.This prospective study included 349 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention via the femoral site and 6 French guiding catheters. The sheath in the early group was removed immediately after the procedure without checking the activated clotting time levels but after 4 hours in the late group. Access site complications were recorded and patient comfort was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale.Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients in the early removal group (n=171) and in the late removal group (n= 178). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of access site complications. Three patients in the early removal group and 4 patients in the late removal group developed a hematoma. Six patients in the early removal group and 10 patients in the late removal group showed ecchymosis.TheVisualAnalogScalescorewas statistically significantly lower intheearly removal group compared with that in the late removal group [2 (1-3) vs. 3 (2-4), P.001].This study shows that immediate sheath removal is safe and more comfortable for patients with percutaneous coronary intervention who received weightadjusted dose of heparin, regardless of the percutaneous coronary intervention levels after the procedure.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of fragmented QRS (f-QRS) with in-hospital death in patients with severe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This was a retrospective and observational study. A total of 201 consecutive patients with severe COVID-19 were enrolled. Demographic data, laboratory parameters, medications, electrocardiographic (ECG) findings, and clinical outcomes were recorded. Patients with and without f-QRS were compared, and predictors of all-cause in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Results: A total of 135 patients without f-QRS (mean age of 64 years, 43% women) and 66 patients with f-QRS (mean age of 66 years, 39% women) were included. C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, troponin I, ferritin levels, and CRP to albumin ratio were significantly higher in patients with f-QRS. The need for invasive mechanical ventilation (63.6% vs. 41.5%, p=0.003) and all-cause in-hospital mortality [54.5% vs. 28.9%, log rank p=0.001, relative risk 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-4.78] were significantly higher in patients with f-QRS. A number value of f-QRS leads ≥2 yields sensitivity and specificity (85.3% and 86.7%, respectively) for predicting in-hospital all-cause mortality. Multivariable analysis showed that f-QRS (odds ratio: 1.041, 95% Cl: 1.021-1.192, p=0.040) were independently associated with in-hospital death. Conclusion: This study revealed that the presence of f-QRS in ECG is associated with higher in-hospital all-cause mortality in patients with severe COVID-19. f-QRS is an easily applicable simple indicator to predict the risk of death in these patients.