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.
Neurology (Expert Forum)
EKG changes associated with Stroke
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-SH, Apr 21, 2007 12:00AM
First of all, keep in mind that I am unable to diagnose you because I am unable to examine you, this forum is for educational purposes.
There are a number of EKG changes that can be associated with strokes, both as effects of the stroke and changes that are associated with causing stroke. The brain is involved regulating the heart rate by sympathetic and parasympathetic (autonomic) control. This control is enacted by the relases of different chemical that slow down or speed up the heart rate. A stroke in the region that controls the autonomic output (such as the right insular cortex or hypothalamus) can lead to a high dose of the regulatory chemical being relased. This can lead to a heart attack and/or cardiac arrhytmias. The EKG changes seen after 'stroke' can be S-T elevation, sinus tachycardia, elevated T waves (or depressed) prolongation of the QT interval and U waves (I hope that was not too technical, but you can discuss these with your doctor). Some hemorrhages can also have influence on the EKG in a similar fashion, most notably subarrachnoid hemorrhage. The exact mechanism of the EKG changes related to stroke/hemorrhage are still under investigation, but the best theory so far is the autonomic theory as I presented above. EKG can not be used to differentiate between embolic versus hemorrhagic stroke, this is done by CT/MRI of the brain. An frequent EKG finding that is associated with stroke is new onset atrial fibrillation. This is a disorganized, irregular heart beat that allows blood to clot inside the heart, and then these clots can travel to the brain causing a stroke. This EKG pattern is often found when a patient presents with stroke (usually embolic) but the EKG pattern does not result from the stroke, the condition of atrial fibrillation caused the stroke.
I hope this has been helpful.
There are a number of EKG changes that can be associated with strokes, both as effects of the stroke and changes that are associated with causing stroke. The brain is involved regulating the heart rate by sympathetic and parasympathetic (autonomic) control. This control is enacted by the relases of different chemical that slow down or speed up the heart rate. A stroke in the region that controls the autonomic output (such as the right insular cortex or hypothalamus) can lead to a high dose of the regulatory chemical being relased. This can lead to a heart attack and/or cardiac arrhytmias. The EKG changes seen after 'stroke' can be S-T elevation, sinus tachycardia, elevated T waves (or depressed) prolongation of the QT interval and U waves (I hope that was not too technical, but you can discuss these with your doctor). Some hemorrhages can also have influence on the EKG in a similar fashion, most notably subarrachnoid hemorrhage. The exact mechanism of the EKG changes related to stroke/hemorrhage are still under investigation, but the best theory so far is the autonomic theory as I presented above. EKG can not be used to differentiate between embolic versus hemorrhagic stroke, this is done by CT/MRI of the brain. An frequent EKG finding that is associated with stroke is new onset atrial fibrillation. This is a disorganized, irregular heart beat that allows blood to clot inside the heart, and then these clots can travel to the brain causing a stroke. This EKG pattern is often found when a patient presents with stroke (usually embolic) but the EKG pattern does not result from the stroke, the condition of atrial fibrillation caused the stroke.
I hope this has been helpful.
Member Comments (2)
by vega1318, Apr 21, 2007 12:00AM
i believe there are may be T-wave inversions in lateral leads (???) not sure. it is more common with some strokes vs others.
