Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Time before ECG goes back to normal
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
Time before ECG goes back to normal
by Mariette Geest, Sep 11, 1999 12:00AM
Hello!!
First of all: thanks for the opportunity to ask questions on this forum.
My question(s) are as follows:
Recently I suffered severe pain in my chest, resembling a PE (as I had before). Since I hate doctors I decided that "it would go away", which it did after say 30 hours. Now I wonder if it was a PE afterall, or a problem with the angina again.
Question 1.
how long would it take for an ECG to go back to normal again after an incident (I mean, if this was related to the heart afterall, would it still be visible on a ECG)?
Question 2.
how long is a PE visible on a VP scan?
Question 3.
is it possible to suffer pain for so long if it is related to the heart at all? I must admit that I have a bit of pain in the arm every now and then
Sorry to be such a fool, next time I might go the the hospital afterall....
Thanks, Mariette
First of all: thanks for the opportunity to ask questions on this forum.
My question(s) are as follows:
Recently I suffered severe pain in my chest, resembling a PE (as I had before). Since I hate doctors I decided that "it would go away", which it did after say 30 hours. Now I wonder if it was a PE afterall, or a problem with the angina again.
Question 1.
how long would it take for an ECG to go back to normal again after an incident (I mean, if this was related to the heart afterall, would it still be visible on a ECG)?
Question 2.
how long is a PE visible on a VP scan?
Question 3.
is it possible to suffer pain for so long if it is related to the heart at all? I must admit that I have a bit of pain in the arm every now and then
Sorry to be such a fool, next time I might go the the hospital afterall....
Thanks, Mariette
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB, Sep 12, 1999 12:00AM
The ECG can be completely normal even after a heart attack. Even while you are having pain that is due to the heart, an ECG can be normal. Abnormal ECGs are more useful at pointing to disease than normal ones are at excluding it.
If you truly had a large PE, it should be visible on a scan for weeks to months. Prior PEs can make test interpretation more difficult.
People manage to sit at home through major heart attacks and (sometimes) survive, only to be left with severe heart failure. A long duration of pain does not exclude heart disease as a possibility.
With a history of prior PE, you should have gone into the hospital - and still should get evaluated.
If you truly had a large PE, it should be visible on a scan for weeks to months. Prior PEs can make test interpretation more difficult.
People manage to sit at home through major heart attacks and (sometimes) survive, only to be left with severe heart failure. A long duration of pain does not exclude heart disease as a possibility.
With a history of prior PE, you should have gone into the hospital - and still should get evaluated.
