Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit
Published on: September 6, 2024
Usefulness of the Electrocardiogram in a Patient Presenting with Right-Sided Pneumothorax and Presyncope
Lavinia Maria Florescu1,2, Călina-Patricia Țentea1,2, Csilla-Andrea Eötvös2,3
1Cluj County Emergency Hospital, 400020 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Abstract:
We present the case of a 71-year-old man with history of smoking, pulmonary emphysema, hypertension, multivessel coronary artery disease and prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery who presented with spontaneous right-sided pneumothorax associated with phasic changes of the QRS amplitude on the electrocardiogram. While several case reports have described QRS amplitude changes associated with left-sided pneumothorax, reports of phasic ECG changes in right-sided pneumothorax are exceedingly rare. Such changes, when present in a patient with sudden onset chest pain and dyspnea, should prompt a diagnostic workup for possible pneumothorax.
Related Concept Videos
Electrocardiogram
Three major waveforms are present in a typical ECG recording: the P wave, the QRS complex, and...
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...
Pulse rhythm
Conversely, an irregular pulse pattern is termed dysrhythmia, stemming from disruptions in cardiac...
Dysrhythmias V: Evaluating Dysrhythmias
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies

