Remove Embolism Remove Pericarditis Remove Ultrasound
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A woman in her 40s with acute chest pain and shortness of breath

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Smith : This is classic for pulmonary embolism (PE). Acute pulmonary embolism was confirmed on CT angiogram: The patient did well. See our other acute right heart strain / pulmonary embolism cases: A man in his 50s with shortness of breath Another deadly triage ECG missed, and the waiting patient leaves before being seen.

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"Pericarditis" strikes again

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

mm has been described in normal subjects) Overall impression: In my opinion and experience, this ECG most likely represents a normal baseline ECG, but with a small chance of pericarditis instead. I texted this to Dr. Smith without any information, and this was his reply: "This could be pericarditis but probably is normal variant."

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A man in his 50s with shortness of breath

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

We have seen this pattern in many pts with acute right heart strain on this blog. __ Smith : The combination of T-wave inversion in V1-V3 and in lead III is very specific for acute pulmonary embolism. Acute pulmonary embolism was confirmed on CT: The patient did well with treatment. Now another, with ultrasound. This is a quiz.

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Another deadly triage ECG missed, and the waiting patient leaves before being seen. What is this nearly pathognomonic ECG?

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

He was started on a heparin drip and CTA of the chest was ordered to rule out pulmonary embolism. This is a case like many others posted (see list below) and the EKG from the patient’s original presentation can be quickly recognized as diagnostic for pulmonary embolism. Now another, with ultrasound. In fact, Kosuge et al.

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

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

The morphology of V2-V4 is very specific in my experience for acute right heart strain (which has many potential etiologies, but none more common and important in EM than acute pulmonary embolism). CT angiogram showed extensive saddle pulmonary embolism. Now another, with ultrasound. On epinephrine and norepinephrine drips."

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Noisy, low amplitude ECG in a patient with chest pain

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

A bedside ultrasound should be done to assess volume and other etiologies of tachycardia, but if no cause of type 2 MI is found, the cath lab should be activated NOW. The "flu-like" illness suggests myo- or pericarditis, but that would be a diagnosis of exclusion. Smith comment: this is diagnostic of OMI until proven otherwise.

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A teenager with chest pain, a troponin below the limit of detection, and "benign early repolarization"

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

CT angiogram chest: no aortic dissection or pulmonary embolism. Pericarditis? Beware a negative Bedside ultrasound. He spent several days in the PICU, undergoing workup including: Serial troponins: rising from 5,700 ng/L (unknown if I or T) to greater than 25,000 ng/L (greater than the lab's upper limit of reporting).