Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Dawn's picture

Inverted T waves in Lateral Wall

Submitted by Dawn on Tue, 11/10/2015 - 20:45

This ECG was obtained from a 49-year-old man who was a patient in an Emergency Dept.  We do not know his presenting complaint, only that he had a history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).  It was noted by the donor of the ECG that the patient had no chest pain, no shortness of breath, and no other cardiac symptoms.  We do not know his hydration or electrolyte status.  There are quite a few interesting abnormalities on this ECG, and the exact interpretation would, of course, depend upon the patient's clinical status.  It would definitely help to be there!

First, we note a sinus tachycardia at a rate of 118 bpm.  This could be due to very many causes, including but not limited to:  dehydration, pain, anxiety, high or low blood glucose, fever, or CHF.  The PR and QT intervals are within normal limits.  The QRS complexes are narrow.  The axis is normal at 0 degrees.  The QRS voltage in the lateral leads is on the high side of normal, but we do not know this patient's body type.  Voltage as read by the ECG can be influenced by a thin chest (making voltage look larger) or a large chest (making voltage lower).

There are T wave abnormalities in the lateral leads:  I, aVL, V5 and V6.  The T waves are inverted, which can have many meanings.  However, when inverted T waves are in the lateral leads, as opposed to the inferior or right chest leads, it is often a sign of ischemia.  The flat, horizontal ST segments can also signify coronary artery disease (CAD).  This patient denied cardiac symptoms, but his age and history of IDDM make it probably that CAD is a factor.  The leads with T wave inversion also have a small amount of ST segment depression.  The right precordial leads, V1 and V2, have a small amount of ST elevation,  This possibly represents a reciprocal change to the ST depression in V5 and V6.

Because we are not at the bedside of this patient, there are many details we do not know.  But these inverted T waves could be ischemic T waves, and this requires that the patient be further evaluated.

As always, we welcome comments, as this ECG probably has more to say!

 

REFERENCES:  Dr. Ken Grauer,  Life In The Fast Lane, World Journal of Cardiology 

Dawn's picture

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy With Strain

Submitted by Dawn on Thu, 12/12/2013 - 10:38

This ECG is from a man with left ventricular hypertrophy.  LVH causes taller-than-normal QRS complexes in leads oriented toward the left side of the heart, such as Leads I, II, aVL, V4, V5, and V6.  Leads on the opposite side, such as V1, V2, and V3, will have deeper-than-normal S waves.  A commonly-used criteria for determination of LVH is the  Sokolow-Lyon index:     S in V1 + R in V5 or V6 (whichever is larger) ≥ 35 mm (≥ 7 large squares);  and  R in aVL ≥ 11 mm.  There is no perfect ECG criteria for determining LVH. The most accurate way to evaluate the size and thickness of the chambers of the heart is echocardiogram (ultrasound).  Frequently, there is left axis deviation, especially if the hypertrophy is confined to the left ventricle.

The left ventricle can be enlarged for many reasons, some worse than others.  Athletes naturally enlarge the heart, as they work the muscle.  Pathological causes for LVH can include anything that strains the heart as it pushes against increased afterload, such as hypertension and aortic stenosis, and diseases of the myocardium, such as cardiac myopathies.

All our content is FREE & COPYRIGHT FREE for non-commercial use

Please be courteous and leave any watermark or author attribution on content you reproduce.