Left bundle branch block: simplified Sgarbossa criteria applied to prehospital ECGs
Abstract
In patients presenting with chest pain, the presence of left bundle branch block (LBBB) on the electrocardiogram (ECG) may obscure the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Patients with LBBB caused by AMI are shown to benefit significantly from rapid provision of reperfusion therapy, yet evidence suggests this is often underprovided. Difficulties in the identification of AMI in these patients is the most commonly cited reason. The aim of the research was to determine whether the application of the simplified Sgarbossa criteria to undifferentiated chest pain patients presenting with ECG changes of LBBB, transmitted during the prehospital phase of care, will be positively predictive of a discharge diagnosis of AMI.
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