An unusual cause of giant T waves.
Am J Emerg Med
; 82: 215.e3-215.e5, 2024 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38839488
ABSTRACT
In the acute care setting, the two most common causes of giant upright T waves include hyperkalemia and the very early phase of acute myocardial infarction (MI). The former is characterized by narrow based and peaked T waves. The giant T waves of early MI, also called "hyperacute T waves," are usually more broad-based. The general recommendation is to consider hyperacute T waves a form of occlusion MI, and to proceed with emergent cardiac catheterization and revascularization. In this report, we present the case of a young man with cocaine toxicity and status epilepticus where the initial electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated giant T waves. Both hyperkalemia and coronary occlusion were ruled out. Within a few hours, the ECG spontaneously normalized. Review of the literature revealed that although uncommon, acute cerebral events including seizures can cause transient giant T waves. When giant T waves are noted in association with a cerebral event, emergent cardiac catheterization may not be warranted.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Electrocardiography
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Emerg Med
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article