ECG Case 010
90-year old patient found on the floor at home.
Describe and interpret this ECG
ECG ANSWER and INTERPRETATION
This ECG demonstrates classic features of hypothermia:
- Bradycardia
- Osborn waves (J waves) = notching at the J point seen in V2-6
- Long QT interval (~ 600 ms)
- Shivering artifact
The rhythm is probably sinus bradycardia — mapping out the RR intervals reveals a regular rhythm despite the obliteration of the baseline by the shiver artifact.
References
Further Reading
- Wiesbauer F, Kühn P. ECG Mastery: Yellow Belt online course. Understand ECG basics. Medmastery
- Wiesbauer F, Kühn P. ECG Mastery: Blue Belt online course: Become an ECG expert. Medmastery
- Kühn P, Houghton A. ECG Mastery: Black Belt Workshop. Advanced ECG interpretation. Medmastery
- Rawshani A. Clinical ECG Interpretation ECG Waves
- Smith SW. Dr Smith’s ECG blog.
- Wiesbauer F. Little Black Book of ECG Secrets. Medmastery PDF
TOP 100 ECG Series
Emergency Physician in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine in Sydney, Australia. He has a passion for ECG interpretation and medical education | ECG Library |