22 yr old male ekg, and left side chest pain

[cookienkikin]

i dont really have chest pain after exertion. i also sometimes get skipped beat feelings in chest and throat.  My pain is not a constant pain, it comes and goes sometimes for hours at a time, always on the left side of my chest.  i was trying to do some research on prolonged qt syndrome and i found that my highest one that i had, which was 466 was considered borderline.  and the other was just below the normal range. (428)  do you think that is something to raise an eyebrow at and be concerned, can it cause chest pain?  after all the ekg's i had wouldn't at least one doctor bring that up?  would the ekg machine print that out at the top of the page if it was a concern?  i'm just trying to find some info out. thanks so much. i really appreciate the help and advice. thanks again. would it cause palpitations? what does unremarkable mean on an ekg print out?

First one:   Rate 88 PR 119 QRSD 100 QT 385 QTc 466   AXIS P 82 QRS 94 T 18    Sinus rhythm, rate 88 Accelerated AV conduction Rightward Axis High QRS voltage, ? normal for age Q's in II, III, aVF- possibly normal for age  Borderline ECG  

Second one, 2 hours later:   Rate varies from 80 to 103: ? arrythmia   Rate 88 PR 143 QRSD 98 QT 354 QTc 428   AXIS P 78 QRS 86 T 54"

[lema87]

A related discussion, 21 female ECG reading - inferior lateral Q wave was started.

[cookienkikin]

i was wondering what conditions could cause the left side chest pain that i'm experencing with pounding/forceful/hard heartbeats in my chest. the pain is intermittent along with the hard heartbeats, when the pain is there it is accompanied by the hard/forceful/pounding heartbeats. what could cause this? thanks

[cookienkikin]

im wondering now if it could be arrythmias causing my problems.  with all the info i have given does that sound like it could be a possibility? could they cause intermittent chest pain on the left side where i described, and occasional left arm pain? how could i find out if that is what it is? if is is arrythmias are they dangerous, can they be treated?

[LukeL]

If the pain is constant or daily you could have a 24 holter monitor which is generally a 5 lead ekg you wear while you go about your normal routine. If it happens lest often you could have a 30 day monitor which again you wear and when you have a symptoms you press a button which will send the EKG data to the hospital.

Most doctors will order these tests if it will help give an anxious patient peace of mind.

[cookienkikin]

im wondering now if it could be arrythmias causing my problems.  with all the info i have given does that sound like it could be a possibility? could they cause intermittent chest pain on the left side where i described, and occasional left arm pain? how could i find out if that is what it is? if is is arrythmias are they dangerous, can they be treated?

[cookienkikin]

thanks for your quick reply, i really appreciate it. today i went and got some of my medical records from recent visits.  i got 4 different ekg reports.  I had two done on 10/19/2007, one on 12/22/2007, and one on 12/28/2007.  The one I had done on 12/22/2007 shows on the computer printoit and the top sinus tachycardia, right atrial enlargement, borderline ecg when compared with ecg of 09/13/2006.  That is the only one that I'm really concerned about, I was really anxious and i think i was having a panic attack when that ekg was recorded.  The main thing that concerns me is the right atrial enlargement, its only on that one ekg.  How accurate is the ekg in detecting that, and is it a really bad thing to be concerned about?  I'm really anxious about this now, please shed some light on this for me. Thank you so much

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

I will also mention that inferior q waves (II, III, aVF) often change with respiration --- present with deep breath, gone when you exhale.

[LukeL]

remember the ekg computer will spit out the worst possible scenario. It is up to the cardioloist/internist to read the  ekg and decide what it really means.

For example q waves in a young healthy person generally means nothing, while q waves in a 60 year old could indicate a possible heart attack. I would also advise to NOT go on the internet as it will only cause you anxiety, stress, and needless worry. You can convince yourself you have every disease in the  book, by just reading a list of symptoms.

[stevie_wonder]

There are Long QT Specialists in Europe that will read ECGs sent to them via email or regular mail. One in particular is Dr. SG Priori. She is the best of the best in the world in Long QT research. Her email adresss and mailing info are available on the www.qtsyndrome.ch website. She read our families ECG and helped in our diagnosis.

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

Long QT would not cause chest pain.

In general, I don't trust the QTc calculation on EKGs.  I always calculate them myself if I have any concerns.  It isn't the QT that matters -- it the QTc, this is the corrected QT interval for heart rate.

Palpitation is the sensation of feelings your heart beat.  It can be caused by extra beats from the upper or lower chambers (premature beats), fast heart rates, slow strong heart rates, and some people notice their heart rate even when there is absolutely nothing going on.

Unremarkable means that there is nothing significant to comment about.

I don't know who to interpret the numbers that a EKG generates -- like I said, they are only a rough guide.  I go by what I see, not what the machine tells me are the intervals.

You need someone that can examine the EKGs and comment on the findings -- I can't do it from this end.

You might want to set up an appointment to discuss this with your internist or schedule an appointment with a cardiologist  The problem with seeing a cardiologist is that you might end up with tests you don't need or if the EKG is stone cold normal, they will probably just say it is normal and you might not be satisfied with the answers to your questions.

I hope his helps.