Prediction of culprit artery from ECG in acute ST elevation myocardial infarction and correlating with coronary angiography

Abstract

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common diagnoses in hospitalized patients in industrialized countries. The early (30-day) mortality rate from AMI is ~30%, with more than half of these deaths occurring before the stricken individual reaches the hospital.When patients present with acute coronary syndrome, The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded by the alarmed general practitioner or ambulance staff is a pivotal diagnostic and triage tool since it is at the center of the decision pathway for management. In this study the accuracy of ECG in identifying the culprit artery was determined by comparing ECG finding with angiography finding which is a direct visualization procedure.