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Acute Anterior-lateral M.I. With Right Bundle Branch Block and Left Posterior Fascicular Block

Submitted by Dawn on Thu, 08/21/2014 - 11:45

This ECG was obtained from a patient who suffered an occlusion of the left main coronary artery.  ST elevation is seen in Leads V1 through V6, as well as I and aVL.  This is an indicator that the circumflex artery is included in this M.I., and the occlusion is above the bifurcation of the LM and the circ.  The patient also has a right bundle branch block and a left posterior fascicular block.  This bi-fascicular block can be a dangerous complication of acute M.I., as two of the three main bundle branches are no longer functional.

The ECG shows typical ST depression, probably reciprocal to the elevation, in the inferior leads.

The right bundle branch block is diagnosed by the following criteria:  1) Wide QRS;  2) Supraventricular rhythm; and 3) rSR' pattern in V1 with Rs with a wide little s wave in Leads I and V6.

The left posterior fascicular block is diagnosed by right axis deviation and by ruling out other causes of right axis deviation.  In RAD, Lead III will have a taller positive ( R ) wave than Lead II, and a negative Lead I.

This type of occlusion is often called the "Widow Maker", and requires very rapid intervention to restore blood flow and prevent complicatons.  If there is good news, it is that there are no pathological Q waves, which would indicate necrosis, and this patient was taken quickly to a full-service cardiac center with interventional cath labs and open heart surgery available.

Dawn's picture

Right Bundle Branch Block With Left Posterior Fascicular Block

Submitted by Dawn on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 08:09

This is a good clear example of right bundle branch block with left posterior fascicular block.  The RBBB is diagnosed by the following criteria:  wide QRS (.12 sec), supraventricular rhythm (NSR), an rsR' pattern in V1, and wide little s waves in I and V6.  The LPFB is inferred by the right axis deviation (Lead III QRS is a bit taller than Lead II and Leads I and aVL are negative), and the fact that there is no other obvious cause for right axis shift noted in this patient.  This constitutes a BIFASCICULAR BLOCK.  The ventricles are being depolarized by way of the anterior fascicle.  In addition, there are slight ST elevations in many leads, with an upward coving in the anterior-septal leads (V1, V2, V3).  Depending upon the patient's history and presentation, this could represent a recent M.I. or pending issues. The borderline first-degree AV block may be of concern in this patient, since first-degree AVB is associated with progression of bifascicular block to complete heart block.  Reference:  Ann Card Anaest, 2010 Jan-Apr;13(1):7-15. doi: 10.4103/0971-9784.58828

 

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