Acute Medicine | Cardiovascular | The ECG in acute pericarditis

The ECG in Acute Pericarditis
Session Overview
Description
This session covers the ECG in acute pericarditis and highlights how it differs from acute myocardial infarction. It also covers the complications of acute pericarditis - pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade – and examines the associated ECG changes.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Recognise and interpret the ECG in pericarditis

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• Have the ability to interpret the ECG in acute myocardial infarction
• Have an understanding of the physiology of acute myocardial infarction

The ECG is fundamental in making a diagnosis of pericarditis. An abnormal ECG is found in 90% of cases, with the remaining 10% being normal.

The ECG in acute pericarditis typically shows saddle ST elevation – concave upwards (Fig 1).

This session:

• Explores the changes in the ECG in acute pericarditis over time
• Examines the differences between the ECG in acute pericarditis and acute myocardial infarction (MI)
• Addresses the complications of pericarditis – effusion and tamponade – and highlights the distinct ECG changes in these complications