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A young woman with palpitations. What med is she on? With what medication is she non-compliant? What management?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Flecainide : This is a potentially dangerous Na channel blocker which can cause ventricular dysrhythmias including ventricular fibrillation. It simply does not make physiologic sense to suddenly see an all-negative QRS complex in this most lateral chest lead. She is already anti-coagulated, so that is not an issue.

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A 50 year old man with sudden altered mental status and inferior STE. Would you give lytics? Yes, but not because of the ECG!

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Likewise, in some cases of ischemia concealed by flutter waves, the ischemia can be seen despite the flutter waves, whereas in other cases the dysrhythmia must be terminated before the ischemia can be clearly distinguished. Even when flutter waves conceal true ST segment deviations, the cause and effect relationship may be unclear.

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A man in his 30s with cardiac arrest and STE on the post-ROSC ECG

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Then there is loss of pulses with continued narrow complex on the monitor ("PEA arrest") Learning Points: Sudden witnessed Cardiac Arrest due to ACS is almost always due to dysrhythmia. The ECG accurately reflects the physiologic state of the underlying myocardium, but there is always more than one possible etiology of that physiologic state.

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Diffuse Subendocardial Ischemia on the ECG. Left main? 3-vessel disease? No!

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Smith comment: In a large randomized trial of dopamine vs. norepinephrine (11) for shock which was published after the above-mentioned recommendations, dopamine had more adverse events (especially severe dysrhythmias, and especially atrial fibrillation). Any alteration in physiology can change "compensated" AS to "decompensated" AS.

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Emergency Department Syncope Workup: After H and P, ECG is the Only Test Required for Every Patient.

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Dysrhythmia, pacer), 4) valvular heart disease, 5) FHx sudden death, 6) volume depletion, 7) persistent abnormal vitals, 8) primary CNS event __ 3) Mendu ML et al. Fourth, syncope in the elderly often results from polypharmacy and abnormal physiologic responses to daily events.