A 51-year-old truck driver presents to the ED after a brief syncopal episode at a rest stop. It is the middle of summer, his truck’s air conditioning is not working,…
Key Points: Not a PE diagnosis: S1Q3T3 is classically associated with pulmonary embolism, but it is neither sensitive nor specific enough to diagnose or exclude PE. Think acute right heart…
Key Points: The ECG cannot rule in or rule out PE: No single ECG finding is sufficiently sensitive or specific to diagnose or exclude acute pulmonary embolism. A Normal ECG…
Key Points: The ECG can provide an early warning of severe RV strain: No ECG finding defines high risk PE, but marked or evolving signs of acute RV pressure overload…
A 69-year-old woman presenting with sepsis gets the following ECG for tachycardia while febrile and shivering. The baseline is poor, atrial activity is difficult to identify, and the computer interpretation…
A 72-year-old man undergoes a prehospital 12-lead ECG. The tracing appears to show ST segment elevation in leads III, aVF, and aVR, raising concern for an inferior STEMI or high-risk…
A 34 year old man presents with acute chest pain radiating to the left arm associated with diaphoresis. He has hyperlipidemia and a family history of early coronary disease. The…
Key Points: The Barcelona Criteria are ECG criteria proposed to identify acute myocardial infarction in patients with LBBB. Core problem: LBBB causes expected secondary ST-T changes, so standard STEMI millimeter…
Key Points: Aslanger pattern is an OMI pattern that can identify acute inferior occlusion despite not meeting traditional STEMI criteria. The key finding is ST segment elevation isolated to lead…
Key Points: LBBB does not exclude acute coronary occlusion. LBBBs produce abnormal depolarization and expected secondary ST-T changes, which can mask or mimic ischemia. Acute occlusion MI can still be…
Key Points: The J point is the junction between the end of the QRS complex and the beginning of the ST segment. It is a location, not a separate waveform….
Key Points: The first post-ROSC ECG is essential but imperfect. Obtain it immediately, but interpret it in context. Global ischemia, defibrillation, acidosis, hypothermia, vasopressors, artifact, and severe metabolic derangements can…
Key Points: Persistent ST elevation after ROSC remains a guideline-supported indication for emergency coronary angiography. The 2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI ACS guideline recommends emergency angiography for patients after cardiac arrest with suspected…
Key Points: Stable post-arrest patients without ST elevation should not go to reflex immediate cath solely because cardiac arrest occurred. Randomized trials in OHCA patients without ST elevation have not…
Key Points: Pediatric arrest is usually respiratory, hypoxic, or shock-related, not primary coronary occlusion. The ECG still matters because it can reveal reversible metabolic, toxicologic, structural, inflammatory, or inherited electrical…
A 72-year-old man is brought to the ED after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Bystander CPR is started quickly, EMS finds a non-shockable rhythm, and ROSC is achieved after one…
Key Points: ECG STAT is designed for point-of-care review, but ECG mastery requires repeated exposure, active interpretation, feedback, assessment, and clinical correlation. Use the ECG Skills curriculum tracks as your…
Key Points: Online ECG resources are best used for repeated case exposure, quick review, and pattern reinforcement. They should complement, not replace, a structured ECG curriculum. ECG STAT is designed…
Key Points: Definition: Sinoatrial, or SA, exit block occurs when the sinus node generates an impulse that fails to conduct into the surrounding atrial tissue. The blocked impulse produces no…
Key Points: Definition: Sinus arrest occurs when the sinus node temporarily fails to generate an impulse. This produces an absence of the expected P wave and its associated QRS complex….