ECG Challenge: A 73-year-old Male with Concerns About His Pacemaker
Urgent message: Identifying the most likely cause of a 73-year-old male’s sensation that his heart is “missing beats” — while being mindful of the most potentially serious sources—will guide decisions on the right course of action. The ECG you order will offer invaluable clues as to the appropriate steps to take. By John F. O’Brien, MD The patient is a 73-year-old male who presents with a primary complaint that it occasionally feels as if his heart is “missing …
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37-year-old diabetic female feeling weak after switching diuretics
The patient is a 37-year-old female who presented with a history of longstanding hypertension and diabetes mellitus. She had recently started on a new diuretic, and felt very weak and lightheaded. Her blood pressure was 88/56 mmHg with a pulse of 44 beats per minute. After reviewing the ECG, consider the following questions: 1. Based on this ECG, what type of diuretic is she likely to be taking? 2. How should she be managed?
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32-year-old male with burning sensation in chest
The patient is a 32-year-old male who woke up at 1 a.m. with a burning sensation in the mid-chest (a first-time event, he reports). The patient is not diaphoretic, and has no dyspnea. He is generally healthy and has no known risk factors for heart disease. His physical exam is unremarkable. In addition, you find: BP: 154/102 Pulse: 68 Sat: 99% Temperature: 97.3 °F View the EKG taken and consider what your diagnosis and next …
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