NYMC Faculty Publications
The Neglected Lead on Electrocardiogram: T Wave Inversion in Lead aVL, Nonspecific Finding or a Sign for Left Anterior Descending Artery Lesion?
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.08.079
Journal Title
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
First Page
165
Last Page
170
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2014
Department
Emergency Medicine
Keywords
Acute Coronary Syndrome, Aged, Coronary Artery Disease, Electrocardiography, Female, Humans, Likelihood Functions, Male, Middle Aged, Predictive Value of Tests, Retrospective Studies, Sensitivity and Specificity
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most important diagnostic tool for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). T wave inversion (TWI) in lead aVL has not been emphasized or well recognized.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between the presence of TWI before the event and mid-segment left anterior descending (MLAD) artery lesion in patients with AMI.
METHODS: Retrospective charts of patients with acute coronary syndrome between the months of January 2009 and December 2011 were reviewed. All patients with MLAD lesion were identified and their ECG reviewed for TWI in lead aVL.
RESULTS: Coronary angiography was done on 431 patients. Of these, 125 (29%) had an MLAD lesion. One hundred and six patients (84.8%) had a lesion > 50% and 19 patients (15.2%) had a lesion < 50%. Of the 106 patients who had a MLAD lesion > 50%, 90 patients (84.9%) had TWI in lead aVL and one additional lead. Of the 19 patients who had an MLAD lesion < 50%, 8 patients (42.1%) had TWI in lead aVL and one additional lead. Isolated TWI in lead aVL had an overall sensitivity of 76.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.86), a specificity of 71.4% (95% CI 0.45-0.88), a positive predictive value of 92%, a negative predictive value of 41.7%, a positive likelihood ratio of 2.7 (95% CI 1.16-6.22), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.32 (95% CI 0.19-0.58) for predicting a MLAD lesion of > 50% (p = 0.0011).
CONCLUSIONS: TWI in lead aVL might signify a mid-segment LAD lesion. Recognition of this finding and early appropriate referral to a cardiologist might be beneficial. Additional studies are needed to validate this finding.
Recommended Citation
Hassen, G., Costea, A., Smith, T., Carrazco, C., Hussein, H., Soroori-Rad, B., Vaidian, S., Seashore, J., Alderwish, E., Sun, W., Chen, A., Simmons, B., Usmani, S., Kalantari, H., & Fernaine, G. (2014). The Neglected Lead on Electrocardiogram: T Wave Inversion in Lead aVL, Nonspecific Finding or a Sign for Left Anterior Descending Artery Lesion?. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 46 (2), 165-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.08.079
