Document Detail


Right ventricular infarction as an independent predictor of prognosis after acute inferior myocardial infarction.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  8450875     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Acute inferior myocardial infarction frequently involves the right ventricle. We hypothesized that right ventricular involvement, as diagnosed by ST-segment elevation in the right precordial lead V4R, may affect the prognosis of patients with inferior myocardial infarctions. METHODS: In 200 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with acute inferior myocardial infarctions, we assessed the prevalence and diagnostic accuracy of ST-segment elevation in lead V4R (as compared with four other diagnostic procedures) to identify right ventricular involvement and its prognostic implications for in-hospital and long-term outcomes. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality after inferior myocardial infarction was 19 percent, and major complications occurred in 47 percent of the patients. The presence of ST-segment elevation in lead V4R in 107 patients (54 percent) was highly predictive of right ventricular infarction (sensitivity, 88 percent; specificity, 78 percent; diagnostic accuracy, 83 percent), as compared with the other diagnostic procedures. The patients with ST-segment elevation in lead V4R had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (31 percent vs. 6 percent, P < 0.001) and a higher incidence of major in-hospital complications (64 percent vs. 28 percent, P < 0.001) than did those without ST-elevation in V4R. Multiple logistic-regression analysis showed ST elevation in V4R to be independent of and superior to all other clinical variables available on admission for the prediction of in-hospital mortality (relative risk, 7.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.6 to 23) and major complications (relative risk, 4.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.4 to 9). The post-hospital course (follow-up, at least 1 year; mean follow-up, 37 months) was similar in patients with and in those without electrocardiographic evidence of right ventricular infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricular involvement during acute inferior myocardial infarction can be accurately diagnosed by the presence of ST-segment elevation in lead V4R, a finding that is a strong, independent predictor of major complications and in-hospital mortality. Electrocardiographic assessment of right ventricular infarction should be routinely performed in all patients with acute inferior myocardial infarctions.
Authors:
M Zehender; W Kasper; E Kauder; M Sch?nthaler; A Geibel; M Olschewski; H Just
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The New England journal of medicine     Volume:  328     ISSN:  0028-4793     ISO Abbreviation:  N. Engl. J. Med.     Publication Date:  1993 Apr 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1993-04-13     Completed Date:  1993-04-13     Revised Date:  2010-03-24    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0255562     Medline TA:  N Engl J Med     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  981-8     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Abteilung f?r Kardiologie, Innere Medizin III, Universit?tsklinik Freiburg, Germany.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Electrocardiography*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis*,  drug therapy,  physiopathology
Prognosis
Prospective Studies
Regression Analysis
Thrombolytic Therapy
Ventricular Function, Right / physiology*
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
N Engl J Med. 1993 Sep 30;329(14):1043   [PMID:  8267730 ]
N Engl J Med. 1993 Apr 8;328(14):1036-8   [PMID:  8450857 ]

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