Key Points: Baseline ECG abnormalities do not protect patients from occlusion MI. They increase miss rates because they distort the ST segment and T waves. The core question is not…
Key Points: Lateral and high-lateral STEMI often present with subtle ST elevation and are commonly missed or labeled as nonspecific ST-T changes. Small-appearing ECG changes may represent true coronary occlusion…
Key Points: Inferior STEMI is the most common STEMI subtype and is frequently complicated by right ventricular and posterior involvement. Inferior occlusion may present with classic ST elevation, subtle ischemic…
Key Points: Anterior STEMI represents large myocardial territory at risk and carries the highest mortality among STEMI subtypes. Early recognition and reperfusion are critical. LAD occlusion may present with classic…
Key Points: ST elevation describes an ECG finding, not a diagnosis. It reflects abnormal ventricular repolarization and can arise from ischemic, structural, metabolic, electrical, or extracardiac processes. Occlusion MI is…
Key Points: ST-segment elevation (STE) is an ECG finding, not a diagnosis. Multiple ischemic and non-ischemic processes can produce STE. Diffuse STE is often non-ischemic, in contrast to the regional…
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…
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…
Key Points: ST elevation (STE) in aVR with diffuse ST depression elsewhere most often reflects global subendocardial ischemia, not focal transmural infarction. High-risk coronary disease is one cause, not the…
Key Points: Historical View: Early repolarization (ER) was long considered a benign cause of ST elevation, often called benign early repolarization (BER). Modern View: Certain ER patterns, now termed malignant…
Key Points An Osborn wave is a notch or slur at the J point that becomes more prominent as core temperature falls. Most visible in inferolateral and precordial leads; can…
Key Points The reference for ST-segment shift is the J point relative to an isoelectric baseline. The two candidates for that baseline are the TP segment and the PR segment….
Key Points RAD combined with ST-segment elevation (STE) is an uncommon but high-risk finding. While STE often suggests acute coronary occlusion, this pattern rarely reflects classic STEMI. Several non-ischemic conditions…
Key Points Definition: Appropriate discordance is a normal repolarization pattern in which the ST segment and T wave are directed opposite to the main QRS vector. It reflects expected changes…
Key Points ACS Dynamics: Occluded arteries in ACS can spontaneously reperfuse and reocclude, making ECG findings variable. Limitations of Computer Interpretation: Subtle STE is often missed by computerized ECG interpretation;…
A 30-year-old man with a history of coronary artery disease and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) presents to the emergency department with acute chest pain and shortness of…
A 58-year-old man presents to the emergency department with acute chest pain and shortness of breath. The following ECG is obtained:
A 40-year-old male is brought into the ED with vomiting, body aches, chest discomfort and fatigue. The following ECG is obtained:
A 46-year-old man presented with pleuritic left sided chest pain. He was found down for an unknown period of time, with suspicion for drug overdose. The following ECG was obtained:
A 69-year-old man presents to the emergency department with palpitations. He is otherwise well. The following ECG is obtained: