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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

Post cath ECG: Now there are hyperacute T-waves again, and recurrent ST depression in V2 This ECG would normally diagnostic of OMI until proven otherwise No further troponins were measured, but it looks like there is recurrent OMI Next day: A CT Coronary Angiogram was done (CTCA) CARDIAC MORPHOLOGY AND FUNCTION: 1. IMPRESSION: 1.

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A man with chest pain off and on for two days, and "No STEMI" at triage.

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

This ECG was read as “No STEMI” with no prior available for comparison. It is true this ECG does not meet STEMI criteria (there is 1.0 The Queen of Hearts sees it of course: Still none of these three ECGs meet STEMI criteria. Do you think we discussed this patient's 2-3 hour delay to reperfusion in our quarterly "STEMI meeting"?

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See OMI vs. STEMI philosophy in action

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Here is the coronary angiogram: A distal thrombotic right coronary artery (RCA) occlusion ! Here is the post-intervention angiogram and post-PCI ECG. The pain was completely resolved after coronary intervention. Take home messages: 1- In STEMI/NSTEMI paradigm you search for STE on ECG. doi: 10.5543/tkda.2021.21026.

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A 60-year-old diabetic with chest pain, cath lab activated

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

I came to work one day and one of my partners said, "Hey, Steve, we had a STEMI this afternoon!" That is not a STEMI. They had activated the cath lab and the interventionalist did not notice that it was not a STEMI/OMI. I said, "Cool, can I see the ECG?' Of course he said: "Yes, it was a 60 year old diabetic with Chest pain."

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Is all this "ST Depression" due to ischemia?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Will you accept this patient for emergent coronary angiogram based on the ECG changes? Does the ECG represent STEMI-negative OMI findings? The patient is a 70 something female with chest discomfort and dyspnea. How would you interpret the ST changes seen in this ECG? How would you mange this patient?

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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 cardiologist recognized that there were EKG changes, but did not take the patient for emergent catheterization because the EKG was “not meeting criteria for STEMI”. Troponin was elevated and no “STEMI” was seen on the EKG, so if it is acute MI, then “NSTEMI” is the diagnosis (however flawed), not a pathology on the differential.

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What would you do with acute chest pain and this ECG? You might see what the Queen thinks.

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

His EKG with worse pain now shows enough ST elevation to meet STEMI criteria. Surely, he should be given heparin and taken for an emergent angiogram, right? The EKG was read by the conventional computer algorithm as diagnostic of “ACUTE MI/STEMI”. The patient started receiving medications for “STEMI” (including heparin!!!)