EKG

[CJ88]

Hello

I had some odd sort of stinging pain in my chest above my left breast and radiating toward my right, it happened 3 or 4 times over the course of a month, so, I went to my doctor today to check on it. She did an EKG and the notes on the printout say cannot rule out Anterior Infarction, age undetermined  Abormal ECG.
These are the numbers
Vent Rate 67 bpm
PR Interval 166 ms
QRS duration 96 ms
QT/QTc  396/418 ms
P-R-T axes  47 16 50

I have been overweight for a long time. I've lost 120 pounds in the last 4 years, still need to lose about 50 more. My general health is very good, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, nothing really. My cholesterol averages about 145.  My doctor is sending me for a stress test next week.  I'm scared that if these EKG results mean I've actually had a heart attack, how much damage has already been done to my heart.  By the way I'm a 45 year old female.  I don't smoke, never have.

[franceslee]

I got a copy of my ekg...not sure if you'll know what all this means but this is some of the reading.

Vent Rate:  86bpm                * Unconfirmed Analysis*  
P Duration:  88ms
QRS Duration: 86ms
PR Interval: 120 ms
QT Interval:  360 ms
QTc Interval: 405 ms
QT Dispersion: 22ms
P-R-T Axis: 69`   83`   21`

Can you make anything out of this?  I don't understand it at all!!!!!  Is it good? Bad?  What?

Thanks for all your knowledge.
Franceslee

[surfgirl]

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

[franceslee]

I DONT REALLY HAVE CHEST PAIN, SOMETIMES I WILL HAVE DISCOMFORT IN MY LEFT ARM, BUT IM NOT SURE IF THAT IS REAL OR THE ANXIETY IS MAKING ME THINK IT IS REAL.  MY CHOLESTEROL AND BLOOD PRESSURE ARE BOTH PRETTY GOOD SO IM NOT SURE WHAT TO THINK.  IM NOT SURE WHAT STEPS TO TAKE? WHERE SHOULD I START?  WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE??

FRANCESLEE

[Barbarella]

I had an EKG done at the ER and it said that I had a previous MI, after numerous tests it turned out I never had one.

My husband had an EKG done at a Cardiologist's office and it also said that my husband had a previous MI, after numerous tests it turned out he never had one.

The Cardiologist who ordered all the tests on me said to me "I'm sick and tired of all these computerized EKG machines spitting out false heart attacks, it happens so many times that I do not even take it serious anymore.

Relax, see to it that more tests will be done to see if indeed you had a heart attack.  Most likely you didn't.  I know they say you can have a "silent" heart attack without knowing it ever happened, but the people I talked to who had heart attacks all felt it big time.

[deedle1976]

Hyperventilation can cause T wave changes. Or they can be a normal variant in some people, especially women (so the cardiologist told me). Hormones can also have an affect. When I was pregnant my T waves were inverted in 6 or 7 of the leads. The EKG machine said rule out ischemia but it turned out to be nothing.

[surfgirl]

no way of knowing without seeing it.  The main thing is......do you have any chest pain?

[franceslee]

I ahd an EKG come back abnormal...all they said was I had some t-wave changes, do you know anything about that?  I just lost my insurance and I'm not sure if it is something that needs to be looked into further.  I do have very bad anxiety...could that have made the EKG be abnormal??

Thanks for any help.
Franceslee

[kitcurious]

My mother had a false-positive EKG for an MI and she is 80.
Unlikely you had a heart attack at your age, being female, but they do have to follow-up to be sure.
Congrats on the weight loss. That must have been very hard work. It's quite admirable.

[CJ88]

Thanks so much for responding.  I apprecaite it very much. Can even the part about not ruling aobut the anterior infarction being  wrong?

[surfgirl]

EKG machines are often wrong.......just to be sure, your doctor is having further tests done.  It could be nothing.  Stinging pain is usually not heart related at all.  Best wishes.