Remove Atherosclerosis Remove Plaque Remove STEMI
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Dynamic OMI ECG. Negative trops and negative angiogram does not rule out coronary ischemia or ACS.

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Here is his ED ECG at triage: Obvious high lateral OMI that does not quite meet STEMI criteria. Thus, it has recently become generally accepted that most plaque ruptures resulting in myocardial infarction occur in plaques that narrow the lumen diameter by 40% of the arterial cross section may be involved by plaque.

Ischemia 121
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What does the angiogram show? The Echo? The CT coronary angiogram? How do you explain this?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

MINOCA may be due to: coronary spasm, coronary microvascular dysfunction, plaque disruption, spontaneous coronary thrombosis/emboli , and coronary dissection; myocardial disorders, including myocarditis, takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and other cardiomyopathies. See "Mechanisms of acute coronary syndromes related to atherosclerosis".)

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An undergraduate who is an EKG tech sees something. The computer calls it completely normal. How about the physicians?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

The scan also showed “scattered coronary artery plaques”. __ Smith comment 1 : the appropriate management at this point is to lower the blood pressure (lower afterload, which increases myocardial oxygen demand). There is an area of dense white in the middle of the circle consistent with atherosclerosis. The blue circle shows the LCx.

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Upon arrival to the emergency department, a senior emergency physician looked at the ECG and said "Nothing too exciting."

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

To prove there is no plaque rupture, you need to do intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). An angiogram is a "lumenogram;" most plaque is EXTRALUMINAL!! One of the most common is rupture of a non-obstructive plaque, with thrombus formation and OMI that spontaneously lyses and leaves a wide open artery. It can only be seen by IVUS.

Plaque 52
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1 hour of CPR, then ECMO circulation, then successful defibrillation.

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

This is a troponin I level that is almost exclusively seen in STEMI. So this is either a case of MINOCA, or a case of Type II STEMI. If the arrest was caused by acute MI due to plaque rupture, then the diagnosis is MINOCA. I believe the latter (type II STEMI) is most likely. Troponin I rose to 44.1 FFR can be useful.

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Chest Pain in a Male in his 20's; Inferior ST elevation: Inferior lead "early repol" diagnosed. Is it?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

We have found in our study comparing inferior STEMI (manuscript in preparation) to inferior early repol several distinguishing characteristics. Nevertheless, even young people have atherosclerosis and plaque rupture. Is this inferior ST elevation due to "early repolarization"? There is reciprocal ST depression in aVL.

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A young peripartum woman with Chest Pain

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Here’s the angiogram of the RCA : No thrombus or plaque rupture in the RCA (or any coronary artery) was found. This MI wasn’t caused by a ruptured plaque of CAD - it was a coronary artery dissection of the RCA. This MI wasn’t caused by a ruptured plaque of CAD - it was a coronary artery dissection of the RCA. Lobo et al.