Articles Tagged With: ECG
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Heart Failure Treatment Can Increase Healthcare Expenses
Heart failure affects 6.2 million American adults and is implicated in more than 370,000 deaths each year. It costs the nation more than $30 billion a year, according to CDC data. By 2030, 8 billion people will be diagnosed with heart failure in the United States. The annual cost of caring for these patients is close to $30,000, mostly for inpatient care. The results of a recent review reveal the economic burden of heart failure for patients and the healthcare system is increasing due to high costs of hospitalization/rehospitalizations and chronic treatments.
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Does Chart State Why Syncope Patient Was Deemed Low Risk?
Prolonged ECG monitoring in the ED, in an observation unit followed by ambulatory monitoring, can mitigate risks for intermediate- and higher-risk patients.
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How Fast Can You Recognize This Rhythm?
How might the reader interpret the two-lead rhythm strip shown in the figure? Is there AV block? If so, is this complete (i.e., third-degree) AV block?
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How Many Leads Are Abnormal?
The figure was obtained after cardiac catheterization for new chest pain. The rhythm is sinus bradycardia at ~50 beats/minute. All intervals are normal. The axis is leftward, but not enough to qualify as a hemiblock. There is no chamber enlargement.
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Should the Cath Lab Be Activated?
How should one interpret the ECG in the figure? Should the cardiac cath lab be activated on the basis of this ECG?
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Missed STEMI Time Frames Will Complicate ED Malpractice Defense
Recently updated guidelines drive home the urgency of early ECG testing and rapid treatment.
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Older Adults with Abdominal Pain Risk Mistriage, Inadequate Diagnostic Tests
ED providers should not think of abdominal pain in older adults as the same as abdominal pain in younger patients. At the department level, consider adding abdominal pain in older patients to the list of automatic ECG criteria.
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Is This Wellens’ Syndrome?
The ECG in the figure is from a young adult man known to have a bicuspid aortic valve. He presented to the ED following a presyncopal episode. The patient has not experienced chest pain recently. Does this patient have Wellens’ syndrome?
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What Is the ‘Bix Rule?’
The ECG in the figure was obtained from a middle-aged man with a history of exertional chest pain and dyspnea. How would one interpret this tracing? Does the red arrow in lead II show a sinus P wave?
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In Addition to the Rhythm
The ECG in the figure was obtained from a middle-aged woman who presented with a febrile illness and shortness of breath. She reported no chest pain. In addition to the rhythm, what else is going on?