Atypical Electrocardiographic Presentations in Need of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Early initiation of reperfusion therapy remains the cornerstone of successful management for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Rapid restoration of coronary blood flow relies on prompt recognition of the typical ST-segment elevation on a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), - a surrogate for coronary occlusion or critical stenosis - allowing timely activation of the STEMI protocol cascade, with a major positive impact in mortality and clinical outcomes. However, atypical, very high risk ECG patterns - known as “STEMI equivalents” - are present in 10-25% of patients with ongoing myocardial ischemia in need of urgent primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - July 26, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Georgios Tzimas, Panagiotis Antiochos, Pierre Monney, Eric Eeckhout, David Meier, Stephane Fournier, Brahim Harbaoui, Olivier Muller, J ürg Schläpfer Source Type: research