Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 19, 2024

Case An 82 year old man with a history of hypertension presented to the ED with chest pain at 1211. The ED provider ordered a coronary CT scan to assess the patient for CAD. His pain suddenly became much worse in the ED and he became acutely diaphoretic, dizzy, and hypotensive. Another blood pressure was checked.

STEMI 60

STEMI Coronary CAD ED 60

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Here is what the Queen of Hearts AI app says: The patient received aspirin and NTG prehospital, and was transported to the ED. It could be a proximal RCA with both inferior OMI, posterior OMI (pulling ST down in V1/V2), and RV OMI causing large ischemic T-waves in V3-4.

CAD 89

CAD ED OR Coronary 89

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 19, 2024

The patient presented to an outside hospital An 80yo female per triage “patient presents with chest pain, also hurts to breathe” PMH: CAD, s/p stent placement, CHF, atrial fibrillation, pacemaker (placed 1 month earlier), LBBB. This case was sent by Amandeep (Deep) Singh at Highland Hospital, part of Alameda Health System.

CAD 93

CAD STEMI ACS ALS 93

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

APRIL 14, 2023

Sent by Anonymous, written by Pendell Meyers A man in his 60s with history of CAD and 2 prior stents presented to the ED complaining of acute heavy substernal chest pain that began while eating breakfast about an hour ago, and had been persistent since then, despite EMS administering aspirin and nitroglycerin. Pre-intervention.

CAD 52

CAD ACS STEMI Coronary 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 2, 2023

Despite otherwise normal vital signs, she was appropriately triaged to the critical care area of the ED. They are rare and hard to find in normal practice in the ED. For review of a case of RVOT VT — Please see My Comment at the bottom of the page in the February 14, 2022 post in Dr. Smith's ECG Blog. RVEF 100 ml/m2.

ED 83

ED OR ALS CAD 83

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. So I made an ED diagnosis of Non-Occlusion Myocardial Infarction (NOMI), and his next day angiogram confirmed NOMI. Figure-1: The initial ECG that was done in the ED ( See text ). Here is his initial ECG: What do you think?

ED 52

ED Coronary ACS CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 1, 2023

A man in his mid 60s with history of CAD and stents experienced sudden onset epigastric abdominal pain radiating up into his chest at home, waking him from sleep. He called EMS who brought him to the ED. ED Diagnoses: 1. We've come a long way in 2 years! And the pace only quickens. I ordered morphine but he refused.

OR 127

OR STEMI Coronary CAD 127

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 20, 2023

So, I'm a follower of your blog, and I think I have a interesting case that I attended yesterday." Case "Male, 43yo, come to ED with Epigastric Pain started 3 hours ago. Remember: these findings above are included as STEMI equivalent findings in the 2022 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on ACS Patients in the ED.

STEMI 52

STEMI ACS CAD ED 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 24, 2019

link] A 30 year-old woman was brought to the ED with chest pain. However, a smooth tapering of the mid-RCA was seen, highlighted in red below: How do we explain the MI if no sign of CAD was found? This MI wasn’t caused by a ruptured plaque of CAD - it was a coronary artery dissection of the RCA. This is written by Brooks Walsh.

Coronary 52

Coronary CAD ACS STEMI 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 22, 2023

An ECG was performed in the ED at 1554: Original image unavailable, this is the only recorded scanned ECG available. QOH Interpretation: The initial troponin I (older generation) at the first ED was barely positive at 0.06 She has not had a heart catheterization or after this event so the presence or absence of CAD is still unknown.

E-9-1-1 75

E-9-1-1 CAD OR STEMI 75

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 10, 2022

He reportedly told his family "I think I'm having a heart attack", then they immediately drove him to the ED, and he was able to ambulate into the triage area before he collapsed and became unresponsive. The value of Stat Echo in the ED for confirming clinical and ECG suspicion of acute PE cannot be overstated!

ACS 52

ACS CPR CAD Heart Attack 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 19, 2023

Concerning history, known CAD" Recorded 2 hours after pain onset: What do you think? To realize — Assessment of ECG #1 is complicated by knowing: i ) That today’s patient has a history of documented CAD ; and , ii ) The lack o f a prior tracing for comparison at the time the initial ECG was interpreted.

STEMI 52

STEMI Coronary CAD OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MAY 19, 2020

Diagnosis of MINOCA should be made according to the Fourth Universal Definition of MI, in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) (no lesion ≥50%). The authors recommend using optical coherence tomography or intravascular ultrasound imaging in patients with evidence of nonobstructive CAD by angiogram. myocarditis).

Defibrillator 52

Defibrillator CPR Coronary CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MAY 10, 2023

CAD-RADS category 1. --No That said — I did not feel the history we were given pointed to any particular diagnosis ( ie, 3 episodes of CP and dyspnea of uncertain duration over the past day — with pain on deep breathing — but with symptoms apparently resolved by the time the patient arrived in the ED ).

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI CAD OR 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. Written by Nathanael Franks MD, reviewed by Meyers, Smith, Grauer, etc.

ACS 83

ACS Coronary ALS CAD 83

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

J Electrocardiol [Internet] 2022;Available from: [link] Cardiology opinion: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (EF 30-35%) V Fib Cardiac arrest Prolonged QTC NSTEMI (Smith comment: is it NSTEMI or is it Takotsubo? -- these are entirely different) Moderate single-vessel CAD. I could have told you this (and did tell you this) without an MRI.

Emergency Department 52

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

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 13, 2019

They found non-obstructive CAD, with only a 20% stenosis of OM2 and 10% RCA. As we have described multiple times on this blog, false positive "pericarditis" kills by distracting the clinician from actual emergencies including OMI, dissection, PE, and others. A repeat ECG was performed and cardiology was re-consulted: Roughly unchanged.

E-9-1-1 52

E-9-1-1 ACS Coronary CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 1, 2012

This was a middle aged female with a h/o CAD who presented to the ED by EMS sudden onset of central chest pressure 45 min prior to ED arrival with associated diaphoresis and SOB.  There is LVH and there are ST-T abnormalities (large inferior T-waves and ST elevation, with reciprocal findings in aVL).

STEMI 52

STEMI CAD ED EMS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 30, 2019

A formal echocardiogram was completed the next day and again showed a normal ejection fraction without any focal wall motion abnormalities to suggest CAD. She has not had a heart catheterization or after this event so the presence or absence of CAD is still unknown. The Troponin I was cycled over time and was 0.353 followed by 0.296.

E-9-1-1 52

E-9-1-1 CAD STEMI OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 11, 2019

These findings are very subtle but suspicious for LAD occlusion, as we have seen in many similar (but less difficult) cases on this blog: A man in his sixties with chest pain at midnight with undetectable troponin How long would you like to wait for your Occlusion MI to show a STEMI? He also had non-acute CAD of the RCA (50%) and LCX (50%).

STEMI 52

STEMI ACS CAD ED 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 28, 2018

A man is his late 50’s presents to the ED with 1 hour of post exertional chest pressure associated with diaphoresis and nausea. He has a history of known CAD, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The ED ECG in the context of the prehospital ECGs was indeed diagnostic of acute coronary occlusion. Leads II, III, aVF show about 0.5

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI CAD ED 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 9, 2023

No family history of sudden cardiac death, cardiomyopathy, premature CAD, or other cardiac issues. No similar symptoms in the past. No prior exertional complaints of chest pain, dizziness, lightheadedness, or undue shortness of breath. He denied headache or neck pain associated with exertion.

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI Heart Attack OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 12, 2017

He had a family history of early CAD and occasional drug and tobacco use. The ECG was alarming to the ED physician who did indeed review it. It is not yet available, but this is your way to get on the list. link] Here is the history: A 30 yo man presented complaining of severe chest pain.

STEMI 52

STEMI CAD Coronary ALS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

Here is a case that demonstrates this very well: Isolated "Inferior" ST Segment Depression: Not a Sign of Inferior Ischemia Here is the most viewed post of all time on Dr. Smith's ECG Blog, with nearly 100,000 views: Five Primary Patterns of Ischemic ST depression, without ST elevation. Use ED Echo if available 4. Look at aVF.

E-9-1-1 52

E-9-1-1 STEMI Coronary CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

A middle-aged male with h/o CAD and stents presented with typical chest pressure. The patient arrived in the ED and had this ECG recorded: Interpretation? Here is his ECG: The resident was alarmed at the "ST elevation in III with reciprocal ST depression in aVL" Are you alarmed? This is a very common misread.

STEMI 52

STEMI CPR CAD Coronary 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 16, 2018

The case An older woman presented to the ED with dyspnea, diaphoresis, and chest pressure. She had a normal EF, and no significant CAD, and was taking flecainide to suppress the AF. Figure-1: TOP — ECG #1 ( = the initial ECG performed in the ED). The initial ECG: The rhythm is regular at 150, and the QRS is markedly wide.

OR 52

OR ED CAD Overdose 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

His ED cardiac ultrasound (which is not at all ideal for detecting wall motion abnormalities, and is also very operator dependent for this finding) was significant for depressed global EF. In this study of dialysis patients with severe CAD, 77% had an abnormal resting EKG and the most common abnormality was LVH. Herzog et al.

CAD 52

CAD OR ED ALS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

AUGUST 9, 2019

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. Beware crescendo angina in patient with known CAD ST Elevation in aVR Case 7. TIMI flow 0) is rare in the ED, as most either die before arrival or are recognized clinically due to cardiogenic shock.

Coronary 52

Coronary STEMI ACS ALS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 1, 2013

A middle aged male with no h/o CAD presented with one week of crescendo exertional angina, and had chest pain at the time of the first ECG: Here is the patient's previous ECG: Here is the patient's presenting ED ECG: There is isolated ST depression in precordial leads, deeper in V2 - V4 than in V5 or V6. There is no ST elevation.

STEMI 52

STEMI ACS Coronary CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 18, 2013

This was my thought: if this patient presented to the ED with chest pain, then this is an LAD occlusion. See image below: Slow upstroke, fast downstroke. Asymmetric.

STEMI 52

STEMI Coronary ALS CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 31, 2018

She had zero CAD risk factors. The 1st “lesson” is, “All bets are off” — when an adult of any age presents to the ED with new-onset chest discomfort. hours of substernal chest pressure. It was non-radiating and without other associated symptoms except for nausea. Here was her ECG at time zero: What do you think?

Coronary 52

Coronary ACS STEMI OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 6, 2019

She was asymptomatic at the time of this ECG recorded on arrival to our ED: What do you think? She also had non-acute CAD of the left main (50%) and LCX (75%). By the time the patient arrived at our facility, she had received aspirin and nitroglycerin, and her pain had apparently completely resolved. They opened it.

STEMI 52

STEMI ALS ACS OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 19, 2016

The patient was brought directly to the cardiac catheterization lab for PCI, bypassing the ED. As I met the paramedics and cath team in the lab, I was ready to see severe coronary disease (CAD), but the vessels were non-obstructive. Folland ED, et al. In the cath lab, the patient’s blood pressure remained low. De Backer D et al.

Coronary 52

Coronary ACS ALS STEMI 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 29, 2015

Case history A middle-aged woman with a history of HTN, but no prior CAD, presented to the ED with chest pain. There is ST elevation, but also high voltage (though the high voltage is NOT in the leads with worrisome STE, rather, it is in aVL). Is the ST elevation due to LVH? Her vitals signs were remarkable for marked hypertension.

STEMI 52

STEMI Coronary ALS CAD 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 24, 2023

Written by Jesse McLaren, with comments from Smith An 85 year old with a history of CAD presented with 3 hours of chest pain that feels like heartburn but that radiates to the left arm. The Repeat ECG: As per Dr. McLaren — the patient was unfortunately discharged from the ED — but returned 6 hours later with a recurrence of chest pain.

STEMI 52

STEMI Coronary CAD OR 52