PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - S Yusuf
AU  - R Lopez
AU  - A Maddison
AU  - P Maw
AU  - N Ray
AU  - S McMillan
AU  - P Sleight
TI  - Value of electrocardiogram in predicting and estimating infarct size in man.
AID  - 10.1136/hrt.42.3.286
DP  - 1979 Sep 01
TA  - British Heart Journal
PG  - 286--293
VI  - 42
IP  - 3
4099  - http://heart.bmj.com/content/42/3/286.short
4100  - http://heart.bmj.com/content/42/3/286.full
SO  - Heart1979 Sep 01; 42
AB  - The value of the electrocardiogram in assessing infarct size was studied using serial estimates of the MB isomer of creatine kinase (CK MB) in plasma, serial 35 lead praecordial maps in 28 patients with anterior myocardial infarction, and serial 12 lead electrocardiograms in 17 patients with inferior myocardial infarction. In patients with anterior infarcts, sigma ST, sigma R, sigma Q, sigma R/(Q+S), and the number of sites with ST elevation more than 2 mm or with QS waves, were obtained from each map. Correlation between both maximum sigma Q and maximum sigma ST with cumulative CK MB was highly significant. There was also a significant correlation between sigma R and sigma R/(Q+S) with cumulative CK MB. There was no significant correlation between maximum number of sites with ST elevation or with Q or QS waves and cumulative CK MB. Maximum sigma ST and number of sites with ST elevation predicted maximum sigma Q and number of sites with QS or Q waves at a time when infarction was not complete. In patients with inferior infarcts, there was a significant correlation between maximum sigma Q and maximum sigma ST in leads II, III, and a VF, and cumulative CK MB. This study shows that all the waves in the electrocardiogram are useful in assessing infarct size. The fact that maximum sigma ST predicts final sigma Q may be used to assess the efficacy of interventions designed to salvage ischaemic myocardium.