What Does "Septal Myocardial Infarction" In EKG Report Mean ?

Posted on Fri, 5 Aug 2011

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Fri, 5 Aug 2011 Answered on

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Question : I had an ekg in January came back as irregular it said on it septal myocardial infarction Dr told me that there not always accurate and will test again next time. I came back now in August and it showed the same thing. I am now referred to a cardiologist next week for a echocardiogram. I am 33 years old five foot 8 172 pounds. exercise regularly dont smoke and dont drink socially. Is this concerning or common? No history of heart problems or any major medical issues. I have taken 20mg of adderall daily as prescribed for about two years.

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (2 hours later)

Hello and thanks for the query.

Subtle electrical changes are sometimes picked up by an EKG computer. These are often times not significant but are concerning enough to warrant additional testing to rule out a true abnormality.

It would be very unusual for a person as young as you to have a heart attack. That being said I think it is reasonable to do a stress echocardiogram. This test will be definitive in that it will show the actual motion of the septum and if there are no motion abnormalities this will help rule out infarction.

I doubt you had a heart attack but think a thorough workup is warranted.

I thank you again for submitting your query. I hope you found my response to be both helpful and informative. Should you have additional concerns I would be happy to address them.

Sincerely,

Dr. Galamaga

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T