Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

The small-but-definitely-present initial q wave in lead V2 ( within the dotted RED circle in Figure-1 ) is not a normal finding with this RBBB considering that there definitely is a typical triphasic ( rsR' ) QRS complex in neighboring lead V1. It can be seen in other forms of heart block as well (such as complete heart block).

OR 71

OR E-9-1-1 Coronary 71

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 5, 2024

The ECG does not show any definite signs of ischemia. Why Was Cardiac Cath Negative for Coronary Disease? Use ß-blockers with caution ( as they may aggravate coronary spasm ). Given the potential triggering effect of smoking on coronary spasm — absolute abstinence from smoking is essential! The below ECG was recorded.

Coronary 106

Coronary ACS ALS OR 106

ACEP Now

JULY 7, 2023

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest presenting to the ED in refractory VF, a majority have significant coronary artery disease, much of which is amenable to percutaneous coronary intervention. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a commonly encountered entity in U.S.

Defibrillator 98

Defibrillator OR ALS Epinephrine 98

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

EMS 12-Lead

JULY 24, 2023

Category 1 : Sudden narrowing of a coronary artery due to ACS (plaque rupture with thrombosis and/or downstream showering of platelet-fibrin aggregates. It’s judicious, then, to arrange for coronary angiogram. Supply-demand mismatch (non-occlusive coronary disease, or exacerbation of preexisting flow insufficiency) a.

Coronary 130

Coronary ACS CAD ED 130

Core EM

JANUARY 25, 2024

Differentiating between the two is difficult as multiple proposed diagnostic criteria have yet to demonstrate sufficient sensitivity or specificity for a definitive diagnosis. Risk factors that increase the likelihood of VT include history of previous myocardial infarction, known coronary artery disease, and structural heart disease.

Coronary 246

Coronary Emergency Department ED OR 246

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 25, 2024

But cardiac arrest is a period of near zero flow in the coronary arteries and causes SEVERE ischemia. Confirmation of sinus tachycardia should be easy to verify when the heart rate slows a little bit ( as the patient's condition improves ) — allowing clearer definition between the T and P waves.

Defibrillator 110

Defibrillator Coronary Epinephrine ACS 110

EMDocs

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Author: Brit Long, MD (@long_brit) // Reviewed by Alex Koyfman, MD (@EMHighAK) The American Heart Association 2023 Guideline for managing cardiac arrest or life-threatening toxicity due to poisoning was recently released. This post will focus on the key parts of the guideline that affect ED evaluation and management. Top 10 Take Home Pearls 1.

Naloxone 94

Naloxone OR Overdose BLS 94

EMDocs

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Emergency physicians have recognized for some time that there are many occlusions of the coronary arteries that do not present with classic STEMI criteria on the ECG. This included the addition several new STEMI equivalents [4] on ECG that warrant “prompt evaluation for emergency coronary angiography.”

STEMI 110

STEMI Coronary Emergency Department OR 110

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 22, 2024

The coronary angiography showed a 100% ostial main (obtuse) marginal occlusion!" Dominant right coronary, atherosclerotic and calcified. Presence of a single coronary lesion: occlusion of the ostial main marginal. ECG #1 — shows such subtle but-definitely-present changes in multiple leads: The rhythm is sinus at 80-85/minute.

Coronary 66

Coronary STEMI OR ALS 66

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

This new ECG was still interpreted as STEMI and the patient was taken to the cath lab where the angiogram showed completely normal coronary arteries throughout. Smith : this ECG is definitely not OMI, but could be mistaken for Swirl pattern, which is a septal OMI with STE in V1 and STD in V6. Unfortunately no echo was available.

OR 116

OR STEMI EMS ED 116

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Past medical history includes coronary stenting 17 years prior. Cardiology was consulted and the patient underwent coronary angiogram which showed diffuse severe three-vessel disease. Coronary angiogram shows diffuse severe three-vessel disease. Definitive diagnosis that ECG #1 is in fact VT is more than academic.

Coronary 136

Coronary OR EMS ED 136

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 27, 2024

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 the patient had a transient acute coronary occlusion that spontaneously reperfused but is at risk for reocclusion. Deutch et al.

STEMI 101

STEMI Coronary ACS ED 101

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

The 50-something patient with history of coronary stenting and slightly reduced LV ejection fraction. There is definite reperfusion. which would suggest reduced rates of major adverse cardiac events with coronary artery bypass grafting." He had been smoking an opiate and suddenly collapsed. He was ventilated with BVM on arrival.

Overdose 52

Overdose OR Coronary ACS 52

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

OCTOBER 20, 2018

The acute coronary syndrome work-up is negative but she is Well’s high and needs a CTPA to rule-out a pulmonary embolism. Part of the difficulty with this topic is the inconsistent definition of contrast-induced nephropathy. A common definition is an increase in creatinine level by 25% or an absolute increase of 0.3

Coronary 174

Coronary Emergency Department ALS OR 174

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

APRIL 9, 2024

Before the lab values returned this patient had a n emergent coronary CT angiogram done that ruled out CAD. A false positive cath lab activation is also off course acceptable for this diagnosis if you cannot get an emergent coronary CT angiogram. Each main coronary artery (LAD, RCA and LCx) are shown in separate images.

Coronary 91

Coronary CAD ACS OR 91

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

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Therefore, this does not meet the definition of myocardial infarction ( 4th Universal Definition of MI ), which requires at least one troponin above the 99% reference range. You can see the deficiency of the definition of MI. Because there is reciprocal ST depression in aVL, this should not be called early repol. But maybe not.

E-9-1-1 52

E-9-1-1 STEMI ACS Coronary 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

Although predicting the "culprit" artery of acute coronary occlusion is often straightforward ( ie, based on the distribution of leads with ST elevation and leads with reciprocal ST depression ) — this is not always the case. See Discussion in the June 29, 2024 post of Dr. Smith' ECG Blog ). The April 8, 2022 post by Drs.

STEMI 80

STEMI Coronary Defibrillator OR 80

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 15, 2023

Thus, this does NOT meet STEMI criteria (though, as of 2022, it is a formal "STEMI equivalent", assuming everyone agrees that this is de Winter morphology, for which there is currently no objective definition). Even if a patient's ECG does meet STEMI criteria, it may not be perceived so. What a farce.

STEMI 93

STEMI Coronary ACS OR 93

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

More past history: hypertension, tobacco use, coronary artery disease with two vessel PCI to the right coronary artery and circumflex artery several years prior. Suppose the OMI had been recognized, or suppose another ECG had been recorded and it showed definite OMI. He reports feeling nauseated with emesis.

Defibrillator 130

Defibrillator Coronary STEMI CPR 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Thanks in part to rapid bedside diagnosis, the patient was able to avoid emergent coronary angiography. Consider the following: We become attuned to looking for acute coronary occlusion in patients who present with acute symptoms to the ED ( E mergency D epartment ). What do you do clinically when the ECG looks like this?

E-9-1-1 109

E-9-1-1 Coronary STEMI ALS 109

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 29, 2018

The T-waves are not definitively hyperacute. There is definite v oltage for LVH. Clearly, more information is needed before a definite decision can be reached — but the “onus of proof” is on the clinician to rule out acute LAD occlusion. There is a small amount of STE in V2 and V3, with a very small amount of STD in V4-V6.

OR 52

OR STEMI Coronary ED 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

A 56 year old male with a history of diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and coronary artery disease presented to the emergency department with sudden onset weakness, fatigue, lethargy, and confusion. This is another case sent by the undergraduate (who is applying to med school) who works as an EKG tech. No ECG was ordered on Day #1.

Coronary 108

Coronary STEMI Emergency Department OR 108

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 18, 2023

When I saw the ECG of this patient I saw that there was definitely something "off". The patient was referred for coronary angiography which did not reveal any atherosclerotic changes. A formal echo at the PCI center after coronary angiography revealed a large septal and apical WMA. Troponin I peaked at 769 ng/L.

Defibrillator 104

Defibrillator Advanced Life Support Coronary Life Support 104

EMS 12-Lead

APRIL 2, 2022

He reported a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy with coronary stent placement approximately 10 years prior, but could not recall the specific artery involved. 1, 2] The most clinically useful definition to account for this entire constellation is intraventricular conduction delay. The respective hospital course was unremarkable.

ALS 130

ALS STEMI Coronary OR 130

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 17, 2024

Although radiation into the left arm is most classic for coronary ischemia, radiation into both arms is actually modestly more predictive ). Answer: This is MINOCA -- Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries. His troponin peaked at 10.310 ng/mL and trended down. The name is self-explanatory.

Coronary 71

Coronary OR 71

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

AUGUST 6, 2024

It definitely does not fulfill STEMI criteria, and I would argue that it would not lead to cath lab activation in most centers. All coronary arteries were patent without atherosclerotic change. Only after troponin returned elevated was an Echo was done, revealing a definite wall motion abnormality.

Coronary 85

Coronary OR STEMI EMS 85

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MARCH 1, 2023

It is unclear to me whether this case could represent 1) simple supply/demand mismatch due to increased demand from epinephrine, 2) Kounis syndrome (usually described as mast cell mediated coronary vasospasm during allergic reaction), 3) brief autolysed left main or LAD ACS with no findings on later echo and CT coronary angio, or 4) something else.

Allergic Reaction 52

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

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Smith , d and Muzaffer Değertekin a DIFOCCULT: DIagnostic accuracy oF electrocardiogram for acute coronary OCClUsion resuLTing in myocardial infarction. Coronary arteries cannot be assessed because the scan was not gated, but proximal segments of the coronary arteries seem to be open with some contrast. Again nothing diagnostic.

STEMI 52

STEMI EMR Coronary OR 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

As per Dr. McLaren — today's patient was lucky in that the acute coronary occlusion spontaneously reperfused — and the patient remained pain-free. There’s clear T wave inversion in III/aVF, which is reciprocal to subtle ST elevation and hyperacute T waves in I/aVL (broad, symmetric, and larger than the entire QRS in aVL).

OR 127

OR STEMI Coronary Emergency Department 127

REBEL EM

MARCH 2, 2023

Background: Historically, we have treated acute coronary syndrome with supplemental oxygen regardless of the patient ’ s oxygen saturation. More recent evidence, however, demonstrates that too much oxygen could be harmful ( AVOID Trial ) by causing coronary vasoconstriction and increasing oxidative stress. Low O2 protocol: 3.1%

ACS 52

ACS Coronary STEMI Ambulance 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

Young people can have acute coronary occlusion. Symptoms don’t always correlate with coronary artery occlusion/reperfusion: resolved symptoms but ongoing ECG signs of occlusion requires reperfusion. Are there any signs of occlusion or reperfusion?

OR 52

OR STEMI Coronary ACS 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

The Queen of Hearts assesses each ECG by itself, without reference to the previous ECG. And she also does not know that the symptoms are improved. So she cannot say that there is evidence of reperfusion, whether partial or complete. In the future, she will compare with serial ECGs and previous ECGs. Just not yet. So WHY wait? As per Drs.

STEMI 81

STEMI OR ED EMS 81

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Hospital Course The patient was taken emergently to the cath lab which did not reveal any significant coronary artery disease, but she was noted to have reduced EF consistent with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Such cases are classified as MINOCA (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructed Coronary Arteries). V1 has 0.5 mm of elevation.

Emergency Department 52

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

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JULY 21, 2024

It shows a proximal LAD occlusion, in conjunction with a subtotally occluded LMCA ( Left Main Coronary Artery ). Upon contrast injection of the LMCA, the patient deteriorated, as the LMCA was severely diseased and flow to all coronary arteries ( LAD, LCx and RCA ) was compromised. There is no definite evidence of acute ischemia. (ie,

Defibrillator 113

Defibrillator Coronary ALS STEMI 113

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 11, 2024

Finally — there is the clinical reality that a patient who has a "baseline" ECG that manifests a repolarization variant — may at some point develop acute coronary occlusion that in part is masked by benign-appearing ECG characteristics of the underlying repolarization variant. It is clearly missed by the conventional algorithm.

STEMI 111

STEMI Coronary Emergency Department OR 111