Clinical Dilemma - Cardiac Memory vs Myocardial Ischemia
Rastko Rakočević1,2, Renjit Thomas3, Ralph G Oriscello4
1Internal Medicine, University Hospital - Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA.
Abstract:
Cardiac memory (CM) is a commonly unrecognized entity in which electrocardiograph (EKG) changes demonstrate T wave inversions (TWI) that appear consistent with ischemia. Inability to recognize and distinguish CM from actual ischemia can be a burden for both patients and hospitals, leading to unnecessary hospital admission, cardiac testing, and cardiac catheterization. Simple EKG analysis and meticulous interpretation of T-wave axis and morphology can help differentiate between the two. We present a case with such a dilemma, and an overview literature and physiology behind this entity.
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