Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD

Educational Pearls:

• The presence of a STEMI has traditionally been used to determine if a patient with acute chest pain requires urgent cath lab management
• STEMI indicates an occluded coronary artery, and urgent intervention is needed to restore perfusion to ischemic tissue
• Patients with occluded coronary arteries can present with EKG findings other than STEMI
• 2022 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Evaluation and Disposition of Acute Chest Pain in the Emergency Department was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology

• Recognizes STEMI equivalents that necessitate cath lab management
• ST depression in precordial leads
• Indicates a posterior infarct/possible RCA occlusion
• LBBB c ST elevation meeting modified Sgarbossa criteria
• Hyperacute and/or De Winter T wave
• First indication of coronary artery occlusion
• Most beneficial time to initiate cath lab because more tissue is salvageable
• These recommendations will likely alter clinical practice for ED management of acute chest pain

References

Kontos MC, de Lemos JA, Deitelzweig SB, et al. 2022 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Evaluation and Disposition of Acute Chest Pain in the Emergency Department: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. J Am Coll Cardiol. Oct 6 2022;doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2022.08.750

Meyers HP, Bracey A, Lee D, et al. Comparison of the ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) vs. NSTEMI and Occlusion MI (OMI) vs. NOMI Paradigms of Acute MI. J Emerg Med. Mar 2021;60(3):273-284. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.10.026

Tziakas D, Chalikias G, Al-Lamee R, Kaski JC. Total coronary occlusion in non ST elevation myocardial infarction: Time to change our practice? Int J Cardiol. Apr 15 2021;329:1-8. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2020.12.082

Summarized by Mark O'Brien, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz, MD, & Erik Verzemnieks, MD

In an effort to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in Emergency Medicine, The Emergency Medical Minute is proud to present our 2nd annual Diversity and Inclusion Award. We support increasing the representation of underrepresented groups in medicine and extend this award to individuals applying to emergency medicine residencies during the 2022-2023 cycle. For information on award eligibility and the application process, visit https://emergencymedicalminute.com/edi-award/

Donate to EMM today!