Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Instructive ECGs in Emergency Medicine Clinical Content

Associate Editors:
— Pendell Meyers & Ken Grauer (2018)
— Jesse McLaren & Emre Aslanger (2022)
— Willy Frick (2024)

editors

A 60 year old with chest pain

I saw this in a stack of ECGs and recognized it immediately. 

What do you think?

There is ST depression in the context of a normal QRS.  In other words, the ST depression is not secondary to LVH, LBBB, RBBB, RVH, WPW, or LV aneurysm.

ST depression with a normal QRS has a small differential:

1. Ischemia

2. Hypokalemia

3. Digoxin

4. Normal variant.

5. Anyone have any others?

Ischemia has a relatively long QT interval

Digoxin results in a short QT interval.

Digoxin is also associated with atrial fibrillation, as we see here.

Digoxin ST depression has a “scooped” appearance.  It has been likened to Salvador Dali’s mustache (see below)

This ECG is pathognomonic for Digoxin effect, NOT toxicity.  

Dig level was 0.6 ng/mL (0.4-2.0 is therapeutic)

The patient had non-cardiac chest pain.

Salvador Dali’s mustache

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View Comments (3)
  1. dr. R.Balaubramanian

    Dr.Smith thanks for posting a very common ECG picture with very important and interesting information.
    ( A 60 year old with chest pain – Saturday, 6th Feb 2021). May I request you to discuss the method of calculating QTc in Atrial Fibrillation with irregular rhythm ?
    With regards, Dr.R.Balasubramanian. Pondicherry . INDIA.

  2. Nice Steve. for the first in time in maybe three years i got this one right. (and the differential too). not because i know ECG's. (i don't), but rather because i love Salvador Dali.

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