Results of EKG

[Sue143]

Hello again! I posted here before about having palpitations and beta-blockers after having a-fib. I went to a new cardio. and he did an EKG. The results came printed out on it and it said abnormal. Then it said (I think)cardiomyopathy but probably due to left ventricular hypertrophy. I'm sure about the left ventricular hypertrophy. I was surprised about getting results like that from an EKG. I thought you had to get those from an echo. I also don't understand what can cause left ventricular hypertrophy, if it is right. I'm not over weight (weight 105) My blood pressure has always been low. Usually 105/62-65. Yesterday it was 100/58, probably lower because of the atenolol.

Can you tell me what these results could mean. I've had 2 echos in the past. The last was 1 1/2 years ago and they said it was fine. Could something change that fast? I'm only 38yrs. old. I'm getting another echo next Thurs. and the cardio. said he was going to talk to an electric Dr., so I guess he means an EP. I'm also going to wear a Holter monitor to make sure my heart rate doesn't go too low while sleeping. I also asked about WPW and he said he was going to check for that. I thought you could check that from an EKG?

Thank you for any help you can give and for all the help in the past. With all the helpful knowledge I think I've found a good Dr.
Sue

[Veepster]

Dear ALL:

Having been born with a functional murmur, I have had many EKG's over the years.  I can sympathyze with those who have been scared by the wrong placement of electrodes on the chest.  I have had several EKG's interrupted because the old metal electrode fell off right in the middle of the tracing, only to have to do the whole thing all over again.  Last fall I was at a retreat and they gave everybody EKG's for some reason.  The tracings on leads V1 thru V3 came up with a peculiar pattern and the resident doc took me aside and told me I might have had a mild heart attack and not known it.  The other leads over the apex and left side were normal, he said.  Freaked me out.  Got back home and my cardio performed one and said I was within normal bounds.  I'm sure the technician at the retreat misplaced the leads on the middle of my chest over the right side of my heart, because that is where the resident doc thought something was not right.  Scared me to death.  Anyone else have a similar story?

***@****

[Veepster]

Dear ALL:

Having been born with a functional murmur, I have had many EKG's over the years.  I can sympathyze with those who have been scared by the wrong placement of electrodes on the chest.  I have had several EKG's interrupted because the old metal electrode fell off right in the middle of the tracing, only to have to do the whole thing all over again.  Last fall I was at a retreat and they gave everybody EKG's for some reason.  The tracings on leads V1 thru V3 came up with a peculiar pattern and the resident doc took me aside and told me I might have had a mild heart attack and not known it.  The other leads over the apex and left side were normal, he said.  Freaked me out.  Got back home and my cardio performed one and said I was within normal bounds.  I'm sure the technician at the retreat misplaced the leads on the middle of my chest over the right side of my heart, because that is where the resident doc thought something was not right.  Scared me to death.  Anyone else have a similar story?

***@****

[heartbeat]

Tessa, the same happened to me once.  My EKG jumped all over the place, huge zig/zag lines.  But I guess my nurse was smarter than yours.  She checked the wires, made some adjustments and did the EKG again and everything was okay.  ;-)

[tessa0825]

Also, do you realize that if some of the elctrodes are placed in the wrong area it can give false crazy readings..Once when my PCP ordered an ekg the slip came out saying I was having a heart attacke! Those were the exact words on the strip...The nurse ran out and got the Dr....He came in and took one look at me and knew I was not having a heart attack...He looked at the electrodes and moved one that was placed wrong and redid my EKG and it was fine.....Scared me to the point I felt like I might have one for real.....

[Sue143]

He he! Thank you, I feel alot better! Actually I didn't have to spy, they laid it right in front of me to look at. I guess maybe they should have explained it.

Thanks again! Sue

[Sue143]

I do remember the ekg said it could be ischemic cardiomyopathy. But I don't remember if it was non-ischemic or not.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Sue143,

Were you spying on the EKG strip?  Curiosity not only killed the cat, but also caused quite a bit of anxiety for Sue, it appears.

The interpretation spit out by the EKG machines are not to be trusted.

First, cardiomyopathy cannot be determined by an EKG.  I suspect that you mis-read what was on the top.  Even if you did not mis-read the lettering, it is non-sense to make a disgnosis of cardiomyopathy from an EKG.

Second, the criteria established for diagnosing LVH by EKG were developed and validated for patients older than 40.  Even in this set of people, the EKG diagnostic accuracy is quite poor, and has to be interpreted in clinical context.  Many young people receive erroneous computer diagnoses of LVH, because the computer does not factor in clinical context.

Hope that helps.