Left axis deviation

HI all,
I have not been posting for a long time, but I check the site every day and enjoy everyone's input. All of you have been a great help to me.
I went to the ER today in our small town. I have been having lots of irregular heartbeat, nausea and diarrhea and thought that perhaps my electrolites were off. I'm also on digoxin and my symptoms matched those of toxicity. Our local ER is nothing to brag about and only one doctor is present in the whole hospital on weekends:-(
All the bloodtests came back normal , but I had 2 EKG's done and those were abnormal. I did not recieve a copy, because I have to request one on tuesday. You probalby know that there computer generated dignosis on the EKG. ONe of them said that there was "marked left axis deviation". I had that two years ago on my EKG, even before I had my pacemaker, but others have been completely normal since then. I was with SSS and paroxymal supraventricular tachycardia. and I'm on Toprol XL and the digoxin since February of this year..
I looked up that term on the net and marked left axis deviation is usually the result of a left anterior fascicular block or Q waves from an MI.
Does this mean , I'm going into an heart attack or that I had one at some point? Are those computer generated diagnosis anything to worry about?
I'm really concerned about this and I hope someone can shed some light on it.
thanks in advance.
Elke

3 Comments

Computer generated diagnosis

by ElectricFrank - 2008-08-31 01:08:52

The modern ECG (or EKG) machines do a fairly good job of reporting some of the common cardiac abnormalities, but they do have their problems. An electrical axis deviation simply means that the electrical axis of your heart does not match the statistical norm of the population. The possibilities along with several others can cause the shift in axis. It can also be caused by a perfectly healthy heart which is just oriented outside statistical limits. The technical manuals for these machines state that the computer generated diagnosis is only meant to alert the doctor to the possibility of a problem, but the final diagnosis should be made by a trained cardiologist or EP examining the waveforms.

I hope this makes some sense,

frank

EKG

by SMITTY - 2008-08-31 01:08:54

Hi Elke,

I wrote my comments before I saw Frank's explanation so if I duplicate some of his comments I apologize. Also, if I contradict something he said, I am sure Frank's statement is the correct one.

I hope the following does not insult your intelligence. But I had the same questions as your some years ago and I feel reasonably sure some of the readers have asked themselves these questions also. So I have gone into more detail than you need I'm sure.
What Is an Electrocardiogram? An electrocardiogram, also called an EKG or ECG, is a simple test that detects and records the electrical activity of the heart. It is used to detect and locate the source of heart problems.

Electrical signals in the heart trigger heartbeats. These signals start at the top of the heart in an area called the right atrium. The electrical signals travel from the top of the heart to the bottom. They cause the heart muscle to contract as they travel through the heart. As the heart contracts, it pumps blood out to the rest of the body.

An EKG shows how fast the heart is beating. It shows the heart’s rhythm (steady or irregular) and where in the body the heartbeat is being recorded. It also records the strength and timing of the electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart.

From this tracing a doctor can determine the area of concern in the heart, A computer generated can do the same, however to the computer everything is either black or white. By that I mean the computer does not take into account any extenuating circumstances or extraneous activity that may effect the EKG.

For example say a man is 6' tall and weighing 400 lbs and the most significant item reported by the computer generated EKG reports is this person has bradycardia and heart rate of 45. It makes no mention of the person's age, weight or why the heart rate is that low, except that he has bradycardia. Now say that man is 6' tall weighs 155 lbs and is a long distance runner. The EKG shows he has bradycardia and a heart rate of 45. It makes no mention of the person's age, weight or why the heart rate is that low, except that he has bradycardia. I'm sure we all know which report would get the doctor's attention the quickest.

Both computer generated reports are totally accurate. If either of these people had a serious heart problem such as a dead heart muscle area, that would mean that person probably had a heart attack sometime in the past. The past could have been last week or years ago. (That would be my report. I had a heart attack in '82 that left some amount of the hart muscle in the apex dead. All my EKGs show this, but the computer does not mention it.)

What I'm trying to say is a computer generated report is totally accurate, but it takes the qualified human to decide if that report warrants further action and when that action should be undertaken.

Smitty

thanks Frank and Smitty

by Elke - 2008-09-01 01:09:27

thanks for your comments !They make a lot of sense to me !
I guess another visit to the cardio is in order. The EKG was really bad looking , even to a novice like me, like some kid was scribble scrabbling. My Cardio is not of much help and does not want anything to do with folks without insurance, but since I ran up a bill this weekend, I may requalify for a medicaid card for 6 months..
This is off topic, but the ER doc thought my digestive symptoms were indicative of what they call "Beaver fever" out West, which is a protozoa. Most likely our shallow well is polluted. Your gut then would have a problem absorbing nutrients. I could not produce any stools, since I was running on empty:-), so I have to have it checked out this week also. It could be that my meds are not being absorbed properly.I have not been able to tolerate dairy products, which I thought strange , because I used to drink 1/2 gallon of milk a day. A quick search revealed that this bug causes lactose intolerance. So even without a test I'm pretty sure it will come out positive, the lactose intolerance would be too much of a coincidence. If it's not one thing, it's another.

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

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