The Skeptics' Guide to EM

SEPTEMBER 28, 2024

Case: You are working a busy shift in a rural emergency department (ED) and your excellent Family Medicine trainee presents a case of a 63-year-old woman with chest pain and some intermittent radiation into the inter-scapular region. The patient has no specific risk factors for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or dissection.

Emergency Department 201

Emergency Department ACS Coronary ALS 201

REBEL EM

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

What Your Gut Says: The patient has a tachydysrhythmia which may be the presentation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) even though the patient has no ischemic symptoms. Essentially, we are using the troponin assay to find patients with ACO who may be benefited by coronary interventions or risk factor modification.

Coronary 143

Coronary ACS ED OR 143

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 25, 2024

The patient was brought to the ED and had this ECG recorded: What do you think? But cardiac arrest is a period of near zero flow in the coronary arteries and causes SEVERE ischemia. Then assume there is ACS. Smith's ECG Blog ( See My Comment in the March 1, 2023 post) — DSI does not indicate acute coronary occlusion!

Defibrillator 110

Defibrillator Coronary Epinephrine ACS 110

EMS 12-Lead

JULY 24, 2023

David Didlake Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Firefighter / Paramedic (ret) @DidlakeDW Expert commentary and peer review by Dr. Steve Smith [link] @smithECGBlog A 57 y/o Female with PMHx HTN, HLD, DM, and current use of tobacco products, presented to the ED with chest discomfort. It’s judicious, then, to arrange for coronary angiogram.

Coronary 130

Coronary ACS CAD ED 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 20, 2024

The ST segment changes are compatible with severe subendocardial ischemia which can be caused by type I MI from ACS or potentially from type II MI (non-obstructive coronary artery disease with supply/demand mismatch). This patient is actively dying from a left main coronary artery OMI and cardiac arrest from VT/VF or PEA is imminent!

Coronary 125

Coronary ACS Emergency Department Defibrillator 125

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

JANUARY 18, 2020

Date: January 16th, 2020 Reference: Troponin Testing and Coronary Syndrome in Geriatric Patients With Nonspecific Complaints: Are We Overtesting? Date: January 16th, 2020 Reference: Troponin Testing and Coronary Syndrome in Geriatric Patients With Nonspecific Complaints: Are We Overtesting? Reference: Wang et al.

ACS 130

ACS Coronary Emergency Department OR 130

EMS 12-Lead

JUNE 20, 2022

Although the attending crews did not consider the ECG pathognomonic for occlusive thrombosis, they nonetheless considered the patient high-risk for ACS and implored him to reconsider. One cannot rely on this feature as a means of detecting changes – subtle, or dramatic – for volatile occlusive coronary thrombus.

ACS 130

ACS Coronary STEMI CAD 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MAY 10, 2023

A CT Coronary angiogram was ordered. Here are the results: --Minimally obstructive coronary artery disease. --LAD Although a lesion is not visible anatomically on this CT scan, coronary catheter angiography could be considered based on Cardiology evaluation." A repeat troponin returned at 0.45 CAD-RADS category 1. --No

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI CAD OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MAY 20, 2024

This was sent by an undergraduate (not yet in medical school, but applying now) who works as an ED technician (records all EKGs, helps with procedures, takes vital signs) and who reads this blog regularly. They too have dense white masses consistent with coronary atherosclerosis. Edited by Smith He also sent me this great case.

CAD 122

CAD STEMI Coronary ACS 122

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

He is interested and experienced in healthcare informatics, previously worked with ED-directed EMR design, and is involved in the New York City Health and Hospitals Healthcare Administration Scholars Program (HASP). She arrives in the emergency department (ED) with decreased level of consciousness and shock.

EMR 130

EMR Coronary Defibrillator Life Support 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 13, 2023

This is acute ACS, but it almost always seen in a pain free state. An ED ECG, if recorded with pain, should show LAD OMI. That said — severe chest pain was present at the time the patient arrived in the ED ( corresponding to the time ECG #2 was recorded ).

ED 52

ED ACS Coronary Paramedic 52

EMS 12-Lead

JULY 30, 2023

David Didlake, FF/EMT-P, AG-ACNP @DidlakeDW An elder female presented to the ED with worsening shortness of breath. She was known to have a history of poorly controlled COPD, AFib, and multivessel coronary disease. This should prompt immediate investigation into supply-demand mismatching, or ACS.

EMT 130

EMT EMT ACS Coronary 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 17, 2024

showed that among patients with either acute coronary syndrome or acute pulmonary embolism and negative T waves in the precordial leads (V1-V4), that inverted T waves in leads III and V1 were present in only 1% of patients with acute coronary syndrome and 88% of patients with pulmonary embolism. In fact, Kosuge et al. Kosuge et al.

E-9-1-1 136

E-9-1-1 ACS Emergency Department Coronary 136

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

AUGUST 9, 2019

Post by Smith and Meyers Sam Ghali ( [link] ) just asked me (Smith): "Steve, do left main coronary artery *occlusions* (actual ones with transmural ischemia) have ST Depression or ST Elevation in aVR?" Smith and Meyers answer: First , LM occlusion is uncommon in the ED because most of these die before they can get a 12-lead recorded.

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI ACS ALS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 11, 2023

The neighbor recorded a systolic blood pressure again above 200 mm Hg and advised her to come to the ED to address her symptoms. For the same reason, you should not delay coronary angiography because pain resolves with morphine. But pain is a critical signal for urgency in the context of acute coronary syndrome. Mukherjee, D.,

E-9-1-1 121

E-9-1-1 ACS Coronary STEMI 121

EMS 12-Lead

APRIL 14, 2022

It should be emphasized here that this is a presentation of high-pretest probability for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). ACS and hyperkalemia both have lethal downstream consequences, so it is imperative for the clinician to acclimate to the presentation, or developing, features of each. ECG's are difficult. 2] Costanzo, L.

ACS 130

ACS Paramedic Coronary ALS 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

APRIL 2, 2024

He was unidentified and there were no records available After 7 shocks, he was successfully defibrillated and brought to the ED. Bedside ED ultrasound showed exceedingly poor global LV function, and no B lines. Here is the initial ED ECG. So a dual chamber pacer is placed with one lead through the coronary sinus to the LV.

Defibrillator 128

Defibrillator Coronary Epinephrine CPR 128

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 1, 2023

Sent by anonymous, written by Pendell Meyers A man in his late 40s presented to the ED with concern for allergic reaction after accidentally eating a potential allergen, then developing an itchy full body rash and diarrhea. In the ED he received methylprednisolone, diphenhydramine, and epinephrine for possible anaphylaxis.

Allergic Reaction 52

Allergic Reaction E-9-1-1 Epinephrine Coronary 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Smith: If this is ACS (a big if), t his is just the time when one should NOT use "upstream" dual anti-platelet therapy ("upstream" means in the ED before angiography). History sounds concerning for ACS (could be critical stenosis, triple vessel), but differential also includes dissection, GI bleed, etc. Anything more on history?

ACS 52

ACS Coronary STEMI ALS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MAY 3, 2024

But this time the Queen gets it wrong (thinks it is not OMI): There were runs of VT: Tha patient arrived in profound shock and had an ED ECG: Now there is some evolution to include the ST elevation (rather than ST depression) in V4-V6. RBBB + LAFB in the setting of ACS is very bad. Posterior and high lateral OMI. Learning Points: 1.

ACS 113

ACS ED Coronary EMS 113

EMS 12-Lead

JUNE 1, 2022

He advises, however, recurrent syncopal episodes for the past six months, some of which have resulted in ED admission, yet no identifying mechanism could be determined. 3,4] The final 12 Lead ECG does not meet any Smith-modified Sgarbossa criteria, so the T wave signatures are characteristic of improved coronary flow, but not necessarily MI.

Coronary 130

Coronary ALS ACS ED 130

ACEP Now

JUNE 6, 2023

Notoriously elusive, with a high misdiagnosis rate, thoracic aortic dissection (AD) can mimic many conditions, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS, the most common), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stroke, and spinal-cord compression. In the ED, his troponin, ECG, and chest X-ray (CXR) are normal. He survives.

ACS 85

ACS ALS ED OR 85

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

Submitted by Dr. George Mastoras (Twitter @georgemastoras), written by Jesse McLaren It’s a busy day in the ED when you’re sent another ECG to sign off from a patient at triage. Here is the post shock ECG: Cardiology was called stat for ischemic VT, query SCAD vs thrombotic occlusion vs coronary vasospasm.

OR 66

OR STEMI ACS Coronary 66

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 27, 2024

There were zero patients in this study with a "normal" ECG who had any kind of ACS! Old ‘NSTEMI’ A history of coronary artery disease and a stent to the same territory further increases pre-test likelihood of acute coronary occlusion, including in-stent thrombosis. So this study is actually worthless.

STEMI 101

STEMI Coronary ACS ED 101

EMS 12-Lead

APRIL 21, 2022

There is appreciable STE aVR with near-global STD that appropriately maximizes in Leads II and V5, and thus suggesting a circumstance of generic, diffusely populated, circumferential subendocardial ischemia versus occlusive coronary thrombus. [1] It’s judicious, then, to arrange for coronary angiogram.

Coronary 130

Coronary ALS OR ACS 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 27, 2023

Note that as many as 7% of patients with acute coronary syndrome have chest pain reproducible on palpation [Lee, Solomon]. which reduces the pre-test probability of acute coronary syndrome by less than 30% [McGee]. Cardiology consult note written around that time documents that "Pain improved with NTG, morphine in ED but still present."

E-9-1-1 116

E-9-1-1 OR Coronary ACS 116

EMDocs

JANUARY 8, 2024

This post will focus on the key parts of the guideline that affect ED evaluation and management. Editorial Comment: ECPR may be considered in patients refractory to standard ACS in the right situation. Major Updates Avoid routine use of calcium in patients with cardiac arrest. COR 2a, LOE B-R. COR 1, LOE B-NR. COR 2a, LOE B-NR.

Epinephrine 82

Epinephrine Defibrillator Coronary CPR 82

Don't Forget the Bubbles

OCTOBER 7, 2024

However, vertical flow can result in myocardial injury secondary to coronary artery spasm. This is supplied via alternating current (AC), increasing the risk of titanic contraction of skeletal muscle, leading to kids holding on to the electrical power source. AC and DC shocks may result in different injury patterns. Culnan, D.M.,

ACS 80

ACS Life Support OR CPR 80

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

MAY 28, 2022

AEM May 2022 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Justin Morgenstern is an emergency physician and the creator of the #FOAMed project called First10EM.com Case: A 33-year-old male presents to the emergency department (ED) complaining of abdominal pain. He doesn’t have any specific symptoms today, including no fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or urinary symptoms.

Emergency Department 100

Emergency Department ACS ALS Coronary 100

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

AUGUST 11, 2024

The machine indicated STEMI (but it barely meets STEMI criteria, if at all) and the patient was brought to the ED: On arrival 20 minutes later the pain had reduced to 1/10 after aspirin, and the patient had repeat ECG at triage: Now the ST segments and T waves have normalized, and the only abnormality is sinus bradycardia and loss of R waves.

STEMI 74

STEMI Paramedic Coronary EMS 74

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 31, 2020

A middle-aged man complained of 15 minutes of classic angina that resolved upon arrival to the ED. But it does prove that the patient has coronary disease and makes the probability that his chest pain is due to ACS very very high. Figure-1: The initial ECG that was done in the ED ( See text ).

ED 52

ED Coronary ACS CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 19, 2023

The commonest causes of MINOCA include: atherosclerotic causes such as plaque rupture or erosion with spontaneous thrombolysis, and non-atherosclerotic causes such as coronary vasospasm (sometimes called variant angina or Prinzmetal's angina), coronary embolism or thrombosis, possibly microvascular dysfunction. This is not the case.

E-9-1-1 118

E-9-1-1 Coronary ACS BLS 118

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

References: 1) See this study showing an association between morphine and mortality in Non-STE-ACS: Meine TJ, Roe M, Chen A, Patel M, Washam J, Ohman E, Peacock W, Pollack C, Gibler W, Peterson E. Association of intravenous morphine use and outcomes in acute coronary syndromes: Results from the CRUSADE Quality Improvement Initiative.

E-9-1-1 78

E-9-1-1 ACS STEMI Coronary 78

ACEP Now

MARCH 14, 2024

A 44 year-old male with unknown past medical history came by emergency medical services (EMS) to the emergency department (ED) for an electrical injury and fall from a high voltage electrical pole. 2,3,5 Except for laundry or electrical car outlets (240 V AC), all U.S. household outlets are rated at 120 V AC. 2023 Jul 17.

Operating Room 52

Operating Room ACS Critical Care Coronary 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

A man in his 70s with past medical history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, CAD s/p left circumflex stent 2 years prior presented to the ED with worsening intermittent exertional chest pain relieved by rest. In our opinion it should not be given in ACS unless you are committed to the cath lab. 2009;95:1701–1706. Morris N, Body R.

ACS 82

ACS Coronary ALS CAD 82

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

The ECG was transmitted to the Emergency Medicine physician who recognized inferior and posterior OMI findings, and confirmed that the patient has potential ACS symptoms. Here is her ECG on arrival to the ED: Improved, but still some signal of posterior OMI. Fortunately — Neither the ED physician nor the cardiologist hesitated.

STEMI 81

STEMI OR ED EMS 81

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

The fire department, who operate at an EMT level in this municipality, arrived before us and administered 324 mg of baby aspirin to the patient due to concern for ACS. Such cases are classified as MINOCA (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructed Coronary Arteries). An angiogram is a "lumenogram;" most plaque is EXTRALUMINAL!!

Emergency Department 52

Emergency Department E-9-1-1 Coronary STEMI 52