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The ECG should be done as early as practicable, including in the ambulance if possible. [18] ECG changes indicating acute heart damage include: ST elevation, new left bundle branch block and ST depression amongst others. The absence of ECG changes does not immediately distinguish between unstable angina and NSTEMI. [6]
The use of additional ECG leads like right-sided leads V3R and V4R and posterior leads V7, V8, and V9 may improve sensitivity for right ventricular and posterior myocardial infarction. In spite of these limitations, the 12 lead ECG stands at the center of risk stratification for the patient with suspected acute myocardial infarction.
Chest pain due to coronary ischemia commonly radiates to the arm or neck. [7] Certain individuals such as women, diabetics, and the elderly may present with more varied symptoms. [8] If blood flow through the coronary arteries is stopped completely, cardiac muscle cells may die, known as a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. [9]
Pain radiates most often to the left arm, but may also radiate to the lower jaw, neck, right arm, back, and upper abdomen. [28] [29] The pain most suggestive of an acute MI, with the highest likelihood ratio, is pain radiating to the right arm and shoulder. [30] [29] Similarly, chest pain similar to a previous heart attack is also suggestive. [31]
Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG [a]), a recording of the heart's electrical activity through repeated cardiac cycles. [4] It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the heart [5] using electrodes placed on the skin.
Cardiogenic shock is most commonly precipitated by a heart attack. [4] Treatment of cardiogenic shock depends on the cause with the initial goals to improve blood flow to the body. If cardiogenic shock is due to a heart attack, attempts to open the heart's arteries may help. Certain medications, such as dobutamine and milrinone, improve the ...
A right bundle branch block typically causes prolongation of the last part of the QRS complex and may shift the heart's electrical axis slightly to the right. The ECG will show a terminal R wave in lead V1 and a slurred S wave in lead I. Left bundle branch block widens the entire QRS, and in most cases shifts the heart's electrical axis to the ...
The most common cause of myocardial rupture is a recent myocardial infarction, with the rupture typically occurring three to five days after infarction. [3] Other causes of rupture include cardiac trauma, endocarditis (infection of the heart), [4] [5] cardiac tumors, infiltrative diseases of the heart, [4] and aortic dissection.