Clinical Significance of ST Elevation in Lead aVR in Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Right-sided Electrocardiogram in Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism

BACKGROUND

Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is an emergent condition. The diagnostic tools are CT angiography and echocardiography. However, all of these modalities can be used under stable and nonemergent conditions. As electrocardiographic (ECG) studies are more feasible under emergent situations, Objective: we aimed to study right-sided ECG (RS-ECG) in patients with APE with further analysis regarding echocardiographic findings and pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI).

METHODS

Right-sided and standard electrocardiogram were obtained from 143 patients with confirmed APE. T-wave inversion, ST segment elevation (STE), and QS pattern in RS-ECG have been considered as abnormal changes.

RESULTS

T-wave inversion, STE, and QS pattern were found in 78.3%, 42%, and 39.9% of patients, respectively. 88.1% of patients showed at least one of these abnormalities in their RS-ECGs. Sensitivity of RS-ECG for APE was 0.88, which was higher than sensitivity of standard ECG (0.79). Patients with STE in right precordial leads, had increased right to left ventricular (RV/LV) diameter ratio (P = 0.021) and had higher PESI score (P = 0.000). Moreover, STE in RS-ECG was an independent predictor for PESI score in patients with moderate (odds ratio 4.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-11.96; P < 0.05) and high 30-day mortality risk (odds ratio 8.42; 95% CI, 2.08-33.93; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormal changes in RS-ECG were associated with an increase in RV/LV diameter ratio and higher PESI score, which may be indicated poor prognosis in patients with APE. The most clinically useful ECG finding was STE which was associated with increased RV/LV diameter ratio and PESI score.

Prognostic implications of ST-segment elevation in lead aVR in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

ST-segment elevation (STE) in lead aVR is a useful tool in recognizing patients with left main or left anterior descending coronary obstruction during acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The prognostic implication of STE in lead aVR on outcomes has not been established.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search for clinical studies about STE in lead aVR in four databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital (re)infarction, in-hospital heart failure, and 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

We included 7 studies with a total of 7,700 patients. The all-cause in-hospital mortality of patients with STE in lead aVR during ACS was significantly higher than that of patients without STE (OR: 4.37, 95% CI 1.63 to 11.68, p = .003). Patients with greater STE (>0.1 mV) in lead aVR had a higher in-hospital mortality when compared to lower STE (0.05-0.1 mV) (OR: 2.00, 95% CI 1.11-3.60, p = .02), However, STE in aVR was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality in ACS patients (OR: 2.72, 95% CI 0.85-8.63, p = .09). The incidence of in-hospital myocardial (re)infarction (OR: 2.77, 95% CI 1.30-5.94, p = .009), in-hospital heart failure (OR: 2.62, 95% CI 1.06-6.50, p = .04), and 90-day mortality (OR: 10.19, 95% CI 5.27-19.71, p < .00001) was also noted to be higher in patients STE in lead aVR.

CONCLUSIONS

This contemporary meta-analysis shows STE in lead aVR is a poor prognostic marker in patients with ACS with higher in-hospital mortality, reinfarction, heart failure and 90-day mortality. Greater magnitude of STE portends worse prognosis. Further studies are needed to establish an independent predictive role of STE in aVR for these adverse outcomes.

Association of the positive T wave in lead aVR with short-term mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism

Background: Lead aVR provides prognostic information in various settings for patients with cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of a positive T wave in lead aVR (TaVR) for patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE).Methods: We screened a total of 412 consecutive patients who were hospitalised with a diagnosis of APE between 2008 and 2018. We investigated electrocardiograms (ECGs) for the presence of a positive TaVR and classified other abnormal ECG findings. Additionally, clinical data, such as echocardiographic findings were recorded, and pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI) scores were calculated. The predictors of mortality at 30 days were investigated as the clinical outcome by logistic regression analysis.Results: In our study population, 54 patients (13.1%) died within 30 days. The prevalence of female gender, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and mean PESI scores were significantly higher in patients with a positive TaVR compared to those without it. Systolic blood pressure of patients with positive TaVR was significantly lower than that of patients without positive TaVR. In multivariate regression analysis; PESI scores (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04, p < .01), Right ventricular end-diastolic diameter (RVEDD) (OR: 1.07 95% CI: 1.01-1.13, p = .02), and a positive TaVR (OR: 4.41; 95% CI: 1.63-11.96, p < .01) were independently correlated with mortality.Conclusion: Positive TaVR, PESI scores, and RVEDD at hospital admission may have prognostic value in patients with APE. Positive T wave in lead aVR could be a useful marker in early risk stratification of pulmonary embolism.

Unique ECG Findings in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: STE with Reciprocal Changes and Pathologic Q Wave

A 68-year-old male presented to the emergency department with retrosternal chest pain, presyncope, and then a pulseless electrical activity cardiac arrest. An ECG prior to his arrest revealed ST elevations in leads V1–V3, Q waves in lead V2, and reciprocal ST depressions in the lateral and inferior leads. He received thrombolytic therapy for a presumptive diagnosis of ST elevation myocardial infarction. Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved and he underwent a coronary angiogram. No critical disease was found and his left ventriculogram showed normal contraction. His ongoing metabolic acidosis and dependence on an intra-aortic balloon pump, despite adequate cardiac output, prompted a CT pulmonary angiogram which showed multiple segmental filling defects. He was treated for a pulmonary embolism and was discharged 5 days later. Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) has variable clinical presentations. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an APE presenting with these ECG findings suggestive of myocardial ischemia. In this case report, we discuss the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible and offer management suggestions for emergency department and critical care physicians to better expedite the treatment of APE mimicking acute coronary syndrome on ECG.

Clinical Significance of ST Elevation in Lead aVR in Acute Pulmonary Embolism

BACKGROUND

Prognostic stratification of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PTE) is crucial in identifying patients who would benefit from more aggressive treatment. We aimed to examine the value of ST elevation in lead aVR (STE_aVR ) in predicting hospital mortality following PTE.

MATERIALS

Two hundred patients with a diagnosis of PTE were allocated into two groups based on the presence or absence of STE_aVR . Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the role of "STE_aVR " in relation to the other risk factors in predicting prognosis of PTE.

RESULTS

Out of 200 patients, 24 (12.0%) had STE_aVR . Patients with STE_aVR were more likely to present with hypotension and tachycardia than those who did not have this electrocardiographic finding. A total of 33.3% of patients with STE_aVR and 13.1% of those without STE_aVR died during hospitalization. STE_aVR had a low sensitivity of 25.8% but a high specificity of 90.5% for predicting hospital mortality. Odds ratio for hospital mortality was 3.32 for STE_aVR with 95% confidence interval of 1.28-8.64 (P = 0.017) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis shock was the strongest predictor of hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

The presence of STE_aVR is indicative of hemodynamic instability, thereby having the ability to predict poor outcome. However, its impact on hospital mortality disappears when the presence of shock on admission is factored in the prediction model.