Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 17, 2024

for those of you who do not do Emergency Medicine, ECGs are handed to us without any clinical context) The ECG was read simply as "No STEMI." He was started on a heparin drip and CTA of the chest was ordered to rule out pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately, there was a long wait and the patient left before being seen by a provider.

Chest Pain 139

Chest Pain Embolism Pulmonary Tachycardia 139

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

The conventional machine algorithm interpreted this ECG as STEMI. It shows sinus tachycardia with right bundle branch block. Taking a step back , remember that sinus tachycardia is less commonly seen in OMI (except in cases of impending cardiogenic shock). When EMS found her, she was dyspneic and diaphoretic. Both were wrong.

Cardiogenic Shock 128

Cardiogenic Shock Ultrasound Tachycardia Pulmonary 128

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 17, 2024

The prehospital and ED computer interpretation was inferior STEMI: There’s normal sinus rhythm, first degree AV block and RBBB, normal axis and normal voltages. Smith comment: before reading anything else, this case screamed pulmonary embolism to me. The prehospital, ED computer, and final cardiology interpretation was STEMI negative.

Chest Pain 73

Chest Pain STEMI Pulmonary Embolism 73

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024

This certainly looks like an anterior STEMI (proximal LAD occlusion), with STE and hyperacute T-waves (HATW) in V2-V6 and I and aVL. How do you explain the anterior STEMI(+)OMI immediately after ROSC evolving into posterior OMI 30 minutes later? This caused a type 2 anterior STEMI. This prompted cath lab activation.

Cardiac Arrest 110

Cardiac Arrest STEMI Ischemia SCAD 110

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JANUARY 8, 2024

Smith interpretation: This is highly likely to be due to extreme right heart strain and is nearly diagnostic of pulmonary embolism. She was diagnosed with a Non-STEMI and kept overnight for a next day angiogram. Medics recorded the above ECG and called a STEMI alert. It is of course pulmonary embolism.

Chest Pain 71

Chest Pain Pulmonary Embolism STEMI 71

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

JUNE 11, 2011

Is this an anterior STEMI with LBBB? Explanation : The patient had a worrisome history: 59 yo with significant substernal chest pressure, so his pretest probability of MI (and even of STEMI) is reasonably high. Additionally, appropriate discordance is common in NonSTEMI, but very unusual in coronary occlusion (STEMI).

Chest Pain 52

Chest Pain Ischemia STEMI Tachycardia 52

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 10, 2022

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. He had multiple cardiac arrests with ROSC regained each time. This is a quiz.

Cardiac Arrest 52

Cardiac Arrest Chest Pain Embolism Pulmonary 52