Journal of electrocardiology
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Arrhythmias are frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with single ventricle physiology after Fontan operation. The aim of this study was to evaluate which type of Fontan procedure--lateral tunnel (LT) or extracardiac conduit (EC)--provides superior outcomes related to the problem of early postoperative and 1-year follow-up arrhythmias. ⋯ Extracardiac conduit as compared with LT does not provide superior outcomes related to the problem of early and 1-year onset arrhythmias. Other factors than the risk of early postoperative and early follow-up arrhythmias should be considered in surgical preference of modification strategy.
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Time from symptom onset to reperfusion is essential in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. Prior studies have indicated that prehospital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) transmission can reduce time to reperfusion. ⋯ Transmission of prehospital ECG is technically feasible and reduces time to pPCI in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction patients.
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Patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain are triaged to early reperfusion therapies based on their initial 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). The standard 12-lead ECG lacks sensitivity to detect acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Electrocardiographic diagnosis of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI) is especially difficult and is delayed until cardiac biomarkers turn positive, indicating onset of myocardial necrosis. ⋯ Patients diagnosed with non-STEMI have distinct distribution of K-L coefficients compared with non-ACS cardiac patients. Coefficients from the first 50 samples of the ST-T wave (ST segment) better predict diagnostic category than do coefficients derived from the entire ST-T wave. Karhunen-Loève coefficient feature analysis may provide early diagnostic information to distinguish patients with non-STEMI vs non-ACS cardiac patients.
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Lightning strike is a natural phenomenon with potentially devastating effects and represents one of the leading causes of cardiac arrest and death from environmental phenomena. Almost every organ system may be impaired as lightning passes through the human body preferring the pathways that the lowest resistance between the contact points. ⋯ The victim may develop hypertension, tachycardia, nonspecific electrocardiographic changes (including prolongation of the QT interval and transient T-wave inversion), and myocardial necrosis with release of creatine phosphokinase-MB fraction. We present the case of a 13-year-old boy with acute myocardial infarction secondary to an indirect lightning strike.