Prone positioning alters electrocardiogram

Reuters Health - 29/09/2020 - Electrocardiography performed on patients in prone positioning can yield electrocardiograms (ECGs) with findings suggestive of an infarct, according to a case report and review. "Body positioning of ECG placement can have a large impact on ECG tracings and their interpretation," Dr. Henry D. Huang of Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, told Reuters Health by email. "12-leads obtained in the prone position should be clearly annotated to avoid confusion when possible." Mechanical ventilation in a prone position is increasingly used to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. ECG recorded through leads placed in analogous positions on the back avoids the necessity of placing the patient in a potentially harmful supine position. Dr. Huang and colleagues describe the case of a morbidly obese woman in her 50s with obstructive sleep apnea who was admitted to the intensive care ...

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Posted on 29 September, 202021 October, 2020