Read about the latest news on ECG / EKG Machines

A mini-stroke is often diagnosed after a cardiologist reviews a patient’s EKG results or performs other diagnostic tests on a patient, but it is often missed or misdiagnosed. Patients were not already aware of their own coronary artery disease (CAD), often learn about it when they become impaired by a mini-stroke.

Mini-strokes are known in the medical community as transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. They are typically a short-lived episode lasting less than 24 hours, and cause a temporary loss of certain functions in the brain. This impairment is caused by a lack of adequate blood supply to part of the brain and it affects the part of the body that it controls. Sometimes, a TIA is caused by a thrombosis, or a spontaneously forming clot that appears in a blood vessel within the brain. But it is often caused by an embolism, or a clot that has formed elsewhere and travels through the bloodstream to that location.

The patients most at risk for a TIA, or mini-stroke, often fall into certain high-risk categories. These include people with hypertension or high cholesterol, smokers, diabetics and the elderly. People who already have atrial fibrillation or other heart rhythm disturbances are often at high risk for a TIA. However, individuals when a stroke occurs in patients under the age of 50, the more common risk factors include the use of illicit drugs like cocaine and amphetamines. Other genetic defects can affect the body’s ability to clot normally.

Affected patients often experience vision changes, vertigo, dizziness, complete paralysis of the arm, leg or face, or noticeable weakness on one side of the body. Depending on which part of the brain is most affected, they may also be unable to speak or comprehend voice commands.

The best way to determine the cause of a TIA, as well as the patient’s prognosis, is for the patient to undergo an “acute stroke evaluation”. This will include a medical history and physical exam, as well as the monitoring of vital signs, blood tests and an EKG.

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A new device has been approved to treat an increasingly common problem known as an aortic aneurysm, which is actually a bulge in the aortic blood vessel that runs across a patient’s abdomen. According to recent research, approximately 1.2 million people suffer from abdominal aortic aneurysms, and many don’t even know it. That’s because there are virtually no symptoms. If the aneurysm ruptures, 70 to 90% of patients die. However, with special attention to a patient’s cardiovascular system and abdomen, physicians can often diagnose it early enough to prevent a rupture. One of these tests is done on an EKG machine.

Often, a health care provider will notice a pulsating “bulge” or hear a loud “pulse” sound on a patient’s abdomen or it may be noticeable by simply listening to a stethoscope. Depending on the type of abnormality that is found, a physician will move forward with additional tests. One of these is an electrocardiogram, or EKG test, as this will rule out other serious heart conditions or a heart attack. Here, the patient’s heart rate, heart rhythm and electrical impulses are measured against accepted norms by placing electrical wires on the chest, legs and arms.

Often, the ECG/EKG test will be normal in an uncomplicated aortic aneurysm, so a secondary test may be required. Imaging tests such as x-ray, ultrasound, echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or an angiogram may reveal an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Now, a new flexible structure from Medtronic can be implanted into the weak portion of the patient’s aorta, which will reduce the pressure from the aneurysm and diminish any risk of a potential rupture. The new device can be delivered via a catheter that is inserted through blood vessels in the patient’s groin.

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According to a recent article published by HealthDay News (12/27/10), scientists have recently identified DNA sequence variations that can be directly linked to a patient’s propensity for abnormal heart rhythms. It was only after an international team conducted a study with almost 50,000 people that they were able to find a significant number of human genome variants in to see how they can impact the QRS interval. The QRS interval measurement calculates the electrical depolarization that occurs in the heart’s ventricles.

QRS interval is easily measured using an EKG machine. Prolonged intervals have been associated with a higher risk for serious health problems related to the heart. According to the EKG research, variations in two adjacent genes can regulate electrically charged particles that produce signals that activate the heart’s contractions. However, it is only one of these genes – the SCNSA – that play a role in how signals are initiated and how they travel across the heart to create rhythmic contractions. The other gene, SCN10A, is not known to play a role in the heart’s electrical activity.

Because this study was conducted with such a large group of people, researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine were able to identify many genes that has not previously been identified for their role in causing a heart condition. The study, which was recently published in Nature Genetics, is expected to result in more genetic testing for high risk patients.

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