Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit
Published on: September 6, 2024
[Electrocardiographic abnormalities in left pneumothorax]
Raúl Carrillo-Esper1, Marco Antonio Garnica-Escamilla, Jorge Raúl Carrillo-Córdova
1Unidad de Medicina Intensiva, Fundación Clínica Médica Sur, México D.F., México. seconcapcma@mail.medinet.net.mx
Abstract:
Pneumothorax is a frequent complication among patients under mechanical ventilation or undergoing various invasive procedures. Its prevalence in intensive care units ranges from 3% to 14%. The electrocardiographic abnormalities described in left pneumothorax include poor precordial R-wave progression, precordial T wave inversion, phasic QRS voltage variation. QRS voltage ratio (aVF/DI) greater than 2 has high sensitivity and specificity. Electrocardiographic changes are secondary to several factors including clockwise rotation axis of the heart, dilated right ventricle, posterior displacement of the mediastinum, hypoxemia, and decreased coronary blood flow. We here describe a patient with left pneumothorax whose electrocardiographic features successfully reversed upon pneumothorax resolving.
Related Concept Videos
Pneumothorax II: Pathophysiology
Pneumothorax-II
Clinical Manifestations:
Electrocardiogram Fundamentals
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a diagnostic tool for identifying cardiac conditions such as arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, and myocardial ischemia.
Definition
An electrocardiogram (ECG) visualizes the heart's electrical activity by tracing the electrical movement associated with each heartbeat on a graph or monitor. As the heart beats, an electrical wave passes through it, correlating with the cardiac cycle events.
Parts of an ECG
An ECG utilizes electrodes on the skin to...
Pneumothorax-I
Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax.
Aortic Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Electrocardiogram
Three major waveforms are present in a typical ECG recording: the P wave, the QRS complex, and the T...
