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Electrocardiographic manifestations: right ventricular infarction
Todd R Fijewski1, Marc L Pollack, Theodore C Chan
1Department of Emergency Medicine, York Hospital, York, Pennsylvania 17405, USA.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
|February 23, 2002
Abstract:
The 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) is an essential tool when evaluating the Emergency Department (ED) patient with suspected cardiac ischemia. The standard EKG has limitations when evaluating "remote" areas of the heart such as the left posterior wall or right ventricular wall. Diagnosis of right ventricular infarction (RVI) in the presence of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction (MI) is made utilizing right-sided chest leads with high sensitivities and specificities. RVI is a serious ED problem because morbidity and mortality is higher in acute MIs associated with RVI.