Key Points: Severe hyperkalemia is a true ECG chameleon. It can produce ST elevation, wide QRS complexes, axis shifts, and conduction blocks that closely mimic STEMI or ventricular tachycardia. New…
Key Points: Start by looking for STEMI, not pericarditis. The safest workflow is to actively search for occlusion MI features first, then use pericarditis features as supportive evidence. Reciprocal ST…
Key Points: STAT ECG is the first decision point in ACS. The primary purpose of the initial ECG is to identify patients who meet traditional STEMI criteria and require immediate…
Key Points: Most missed occlusion MI. Isolated posterior occlusion MI is frequently missed because the standard 12-lead ECG often lacks ST elevation. Instead, posterior injury appears as reciprocal anterior ST…
Key Points: Takotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy is a transient, non-ischemic LV dysfunction—classically apical ballooning with basal hyperkinesis—often after emotional or physical stress. Presentation mimics occlusion MI (chest pain, ECG changes, elevated…
Key Points: ACS is dynamic. Coronary arteries can occlude, partially reperfuse, and re-occlude over minutes to hours, and the ECG can show these shifts before biomarkers do. The earliest actionable…
Key Points Reperfusion and re-occlusion can occur spontaneously or after therapy. The ECG often reflects these changes earlier than symptoms. Most useful bedside ECG marker of reperfusion is ST-segment resolution…
Key Points STEMI criteria alone miss some acute coronary occlusions, so look for subtle “occlusion clues,” not just traditional STEMI criteria cutoffs. Minor ST elevation under 1 mm paired with…
Key Points: ACS is a clinical syndrome: classified by ischemic symptoms + ECG + troponin. ACS exists on a continuum of unstable angina, NSTEMI, STEMI, and patients can evolve between…
Key Points: Hypomagnesemia is an important arrhythmogenic electrolyte abnormality. It increases risk of atrial and ventricular ectopy, ventricular tachycardia, and torsades de pointes, especially when QT is prolonged. The most…
Key Points: Definition & Terminology: Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM), previously known as Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia (ARVC/D), is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive fibrofatty replacement of the ventricular myocardium, predominantly…
Key Points: STEMI Equivalent: The de Winter ECG pattern is an uncommon STEMI equivalent indicative of an unstable proximal occlusion of the LAD (left anterior descending coronary artery). Treat the…
Key Points: Pacemakers treat bradyarrhythmias by delivering timed atrial, ventricular, or dual-chamber pacing when intrinsic activity is slow or absent. Know the major device types encountered in the ED: single-chamber,…
Key Points: The ECG can provide early clues to high-risk PE and may identify patients at risk for rapid hemodynamic collapse. Right ventricular strain patterns are the core high-risk markers….
Key Points: Three primary pacemaker malfunctions: Failure to pace – no pacing spike when one is needed. Failure to capture – pacing spike appears but no depolarization follows. Failure to…
Key Points Tall, broad-based T–U fusion that looks like a mountain peak, usually from severe hypokalemia; think high torsades risk until proven otherwise. Hallmark is prolonged repolarization: QT appears long…
Key Points: Pseudo-Wellens waves are anterior T-wave patterns that mimic the biphasic or deeply inverted T waves of true Wellens syndrome but are caused by non-LAD, non-ischemic physiology. These normal-variant…
Key Points Wellens waves are anterior precordial T wave abnormalities (biphasic or deeply inverted) most often in V2–V3, occasionally extending to V1 and V4–V6. They signal a high likelihood of…
Key Points Wellens waves are anterior precordial T wave abnormalities (biphasic or deeply inverted) most often in V2–V3, occasionally extending to V1 and V4–V6. They signal a high likelihood of…
Key Points: VT is a ventricular-origin rhythm: ≥3 consecutive ventricular beats, QRS >120 ms, rate usually 120–250 bpm. Types include monomorphic VT, polymorphic VT, torsades (PMVT with long QT), ventricular…