Would Curved On An ECG Report Show As Wider Or Broader When Ne Has A Heart Attack?

Posted on Sat, 14 Jul 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 14 Jul 2018 Answered on

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi doc
I have been in hospital in march for pressure in chest. Did bloodwork ecg bloodgas and stress test on bicycle
All tests came back ok.

Been to doctor this week and he compared ecg with the one i took at hospital in march and they were the same.
Be says i have some chances on my ecg. Something about a broader or wider something. A curve that is supposed to be very pointy was a little more round if u get it?
But the two ecg compared were same.

When u have a heart attack these will get wider or broader right?

What og the two ecg from hospital and the one from now show the same because og was both times a heartfailure happenings?

Can u check the files that i have earlier enclosed with ecg to see if there is signs i have had heart attack in the past?
Some ecg machines says there is clear signs of heartattack but doc says no.
One doc says showes signs of low oxygen.
Says u are ok but dont run any marathons...

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

Regarding your concern, I would explain that some ECG changes could be non-specific due to the stress and the pain.

However, they should be interpreted in correlation with cardiac enzymes levels and patients' symptoms.

I would certainly like to directly review those ECG if you can upload them as attachments to this question for a more professional opinion.

The best way to completely exclude coronary artery disease, considering your chest pain would be to perform an exercise cardiac stress test, which has a higher sensibility and specificity for this diagnosis compared to repeated resting ECG.

You should discuss with your doctor about the possibility of performing this test.

Hope you will find this answer helpful! I remain at your disposal for any further questions whenever you need!

Regards,
Dr. Iliri

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Ilir Sharka (6 hours later)

Hi
I did enzymes troponin test Which were ok
I also did stress test Which were ok at hospital

I do have a RBBB. Would that show on an ECG as a wider/broader something? Could an RBBB be intepreted by ecg machine as infarct/heartfailure?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (10 hours later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

I would like to explain to you that in the presence of RBBB, the ECG shows some changes like QRS complex widening and some T wave inversions.

These changes may appear different, depending from the leads that are taken into consideration when judging the ECG pattern.

All the above ECG presentation doesn’t mean you have experienced a heart attack; this is also confirmed by the additional tests you have done.

In addition, ECG is not considered as a specific test for diagnosing heart failure, as the main criteria are clinical presentation coupled with other tests like cardiac ultrasound, chest X-ray study, and natriuretic peptides.

Coming to this point, I would conclude that you don’t suffer from any of the above cardiac disorders: heart attack or heart failure.

So, there is nothing to worry about.

I would just encourage you to follow a healthy lifestyle and perform a lot of physical activity. Yoga can help improve your situation.

Hope to have been helpful! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me again! Wishing you a pleasant weekend.
Regards,
Dr. Iliri

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