Emergencies
Results:
STEMI vs Early Repolarization: DDx
Key Points: Early repolarization (ER) is a common, benign ECG pattern that most often appears in young, healthy patients. It can closely resemble acute anterior STEMI, creating a high-risk diagnostic…
STEMI vs LV Aneurysm: DDx
Key Points: LV aneurysm pattern is a post MI scar pattern with persistent ST elevation in the prior infarct territory, usually with pathologic Q waves and a stable, non evolving…
ST Elevation in aVR with Diffuse ST Segment Depression: OMI Pattern
Key Points: Pattern, not a STEMI equivalent. ST elevation in aVR (≥1 mm), often with ST elevation in V1 and diffuse ST depression (≥1 mm in ≥6 leads), represents high-risk…
STEMI Mimics: DDx
Key Points: ST elevation is a pattern, not a diagnosis. STEMI represents one cause of ST elevation and requires correlation with ECG morphology, distribution, evolution, and clinical context. Most ED…
Hyperkalemia Emergencies
Key Points: Severe Hyperkalemia Mimics Several Life-Threatening Conditions: Severe hyperkalemia is one of the most dangerous ECG mimics in emergency medicine. It can resemble unstable bradyarrhythmias, VT, STEMI, and pacemaker…
STEMI vs Severe Hyperkalemia: DDx
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…
STEMI vs Acute Pericarditis: DDx
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…
Traditional STEMI Criteria
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…
ST Depression V1-V4: OMI Pattern
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…
STEMI vs Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: DDx
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…
Earliest Evidence of Occlusion MI
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…
ECG Evidence of Reperfusion After Occlusion
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…
Early Reciprocal Changes: OMI Pattern
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…
Hypomagnesemia
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…
Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM)
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…
de Winter T Waves: STEMI Equivalent Pattern
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…
High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism
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….
Pacemaker & ICD Emergencies
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…
Himalayan T Waves
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…
Pseudo-Wellens Waves
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…
ECG Tags
- A-Z
- ACS Mimics
- ACS-OMI
- Activation
- Advanced Level Curriculum
- Annual ECG Competition
- Anterior OMI
- Anterior STEMI
- Approach
- Arrest
- Arrhythmia
- Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy
- Artifact
- ARVC
- ARVD
- Atrial Parasystole
- Attending
- AV Block
- aVF
- aVL
- aVR
- Axis
- Basics
- Bix Rule
- Board Review
- Bradyarrhythmia
- Cath Lab
- Chest Pain
- Clumped Beats
- Competition
- Conduction
- Core
- Core Level Curriculum
- Critical ECG Patterns
- Curriculum
- DDx
- Delta
- Devices
- Diagonal Branch Occlusion
- Differential Diagnoses
- Diffuse ST Elevation
- Documentation
- Early Repolarization
- ECG Interpretation
- ECG Localization
- ECG Variant
- Education/Teaching
- Electrolytes
- Emergencies
- Emergent Cath Lab Activation
- EMS
- Expert Level Curriculum
- Flutter
- Flutter Waves
- Foundations Level Curriculum
- Guidelines
- High-Lateral STEMI
- Hub
- Hyperacute T waves
- Hypercalcemia
- Hyperkalemia
- Hypermagnesemia
- Hypocalcemia
- Hypokalemia
- Hypomagnesemia
- Hyponatremia
- Hypothermia
- I
- II
- Index
- Inferior OMI
- Inferior STEMI
- Intervals
- Irregular
- Ischemia
- Ischemia & Infarction
- J Waves
- JT
- Junctional Rhythm
- Juvenile T wave
- LAD Occlusion
- Lateral STEMI
- LBBB
- LCx Occlusion
- Lead Placement
- Left Atrial Enlargement (LAE)
- Life Savers
- LV an
- LV Aneurysm
- LVAD
- Mastery Level Curriculum
- Metabolic
- Mimics
- Morphology
- Narrow QRS
- Occlusion MI
- OMI Pattern
- Orthodromic AVRT
- Osborn Waves
- P Wave
- Paced Rhythms
- Pacemaker/ICD
- Paramedics
- Pauses
- PE
- Pediatrics
- Pericardial
- Pericarditis
- PGY-1
- PGY-2
- PGY-3
- PGY-4
- Post-Arrest
- post-arrest STEMI
- Post-Cardiac Arrest
- Posterior Extension
- Posterior MI
- Posterior STEMI
- PR
- Preexcitation
- Premature Complexes
- Prolonged QT
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Pulse-Tapping Artifact
- PVCs
- Q Wave
- QRS
- QT
- R Waves
- RAD
- Rate
- RBBB
- RCA Occlusion
- Regular
- Reperfusion
- Rhythm
- Right Atrial Enlargement (RAE)
- RR
- S Waves
- Segments
- Seizure
- Serial ECGs
- Sgarbossa
- Shock
- South African Flag Sign
- ST
- ST Depression
- ST Elevation
- STEMI
- STEMI Equivalent
- STEMI Mimics
- STEMI Negative OMI
- Stepwise
- Stroke
- Structural
- Students
- SVT
- Syncope
- T Wave Inversion
- T Waves
- Tachyarrhythmia
- Tachycardia
- Tamponade
- Terminal QRS Distortion
- Toxicology
- TP
- Traditional STEMI Criteria
- U Waves
- Unstable
- V1-V4
- V2
- V5
- V6
- Vectors
- Ventricular Repolarization
- Ventricular Rhythms
- Ventricular Tachycardia
- Voltage
- Waveforms
- Wide QRS
- Workflow
- WPW
© 2026 ECG Weekly. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Powered by the member(dev) platform
Loading...