Rotated Heart and Q waves

dannykewl said:

Hi, I am a 50 yo male, and my doctor gave me an EKG today as part of my regular checkups. I told
her my dad had a heart attack around that age.

Uh-oh.

Quoted message said:

The tech took an EKG, but took another one thinking maybe she may have crossed some of the
electrodes. Another one taken, she went and got the doctor, who double checked the wires which
were OK and took another reading. She said something about certain aspects of Q waves,

Q waves would suggest that you have had a heart attack. Assuming you were not aware of the heart
attack when it happened, this would have been a "silent" heart attack. About 25% of all heart
attacks are "silent."

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and I may have a "rotated heart",

That would be largely a diagnosis of exclusion (everything else included a heart attack having been
ruled out).

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and not to worry for now as that may be the case, until she confirms with the cardiologist.

It is likely that she is going to learn that you should be referred to see a cardiologist.

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I tried a Google search for "rotated heart q waves" and found very little.

Not surprising.

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What I'm assuming (hopefully) is that a rotated heart is just the position of the heart and
carries no threat healthwise,

Correct.

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and the EKG reading is like that as the electrodes are not getting the right electrical impulses
as the electrodes are misaligned with the position of my heart. How close to correct am I on this
or am I way off base?

Would be concerned about possibility that you have had a "silent" heart attack.

Quoted message said:

TIA,

You are welcome, Dan :-)

Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

Andrew

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.comOpen ↗

--
Who is the humblest person in the universe?

makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.comOpen ↗

Have you ever had an EKG before? It sounds to me like the technicians came back to check the leads.
If that was the case and they were concerned they were reversed they may have detected dextrocardia.
That is a rotation of the heart so that it is mirror image as to normal. I have seen a few patients
with this and they have been normal otherwise. I do know that it my be associated with other cardiac
congenital abnormalities. If it turns out to be so... I suggest you see a cardiologist for a work up
and and echocardiogram.

[email hidden] (Complex592) wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Have you ever had an EKG before? It sounds to me like the technicians came back to check the
leads. If that was the case and they were concerned they were reversed they may have detected
dextrocardia. That is a rotation of the heart so that it is mirror image as to normal. I have seen
a few patients with this and they have been normal otherwise. I do know that it my be associated
with other cardiac congenital abnormalities. If it turns out to be so... I suggest you see a
cardiologist for a work up and and echocardiogram.

And while we're on the topic of unusual Q wave findings, another anomaly that can result in differently-
placed Q waves (in the absence of ischemia, of course) is ventricular inversion, also known as congenitally-
corrected L-transposition.

I think the first step is to have an actual cardiologist look at your electrocardiogram.

- TC, md Pediatric cardiology and electrophysiology

Thanks much for everyone's reply. This does make me feel better that hopefully it's not too much to
worry about, and if they did find I had a silent heart attack, I'll get the advice/meds that I
need. I believe I may have had an EKG many years ago, but they didn't tell me what was in it if
they did, or maybe if "rotated" heart was suspected, maybe they thought it wasn't threatening and
didn't tell me. I moved around and lived in so many cities, that if I did have an EKG done, I can't
remember where.

"dannykewl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:BXCSb.6759$Ii2.3506@lakeread03...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I am a 50 yo male, and my doctor gave me an EKG today as part of my regular checkups. I told
her my dad had a heart attack around that age.

The

Quoted message said:

tech took an EKG, but took another one thinking maybe she may have crossed some of the electrodes.
Another one taken, she went and got the doctor,

who

Quoted message said:

double checked the wires which were OK and took another reading. She said something about certain
aspects of Q waves, and I may have a "rotated heart", and not to worry for now as that may be the
case, until she

confirms

Quoted message said:

with the cardiologist. I tried a Google search for "rotated heart q waves" and found very little.
What I'm assuming (hopefully) is that a rotated

heart

Quoted message said:

is just the position of the heart and carries no threat healthwise, and

the

Quoted message said:

EKG reading is like that as the electrodes are not getting the right electrical impulses as the
electrodes are misaligned with the position of

my

Quoted message said:

heart. How close to correct am I on this or am I way off base? TIA,

Dan

"dannykewl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<MimTb.9793$Ii2.2613@lakeread03>...

Quoted message said:

Thanks much for everyone's reply.

You are welcome :-)

Quoted message said:

This does make me feel better that hopefully it's not too much to worry about, and if they did
find I had a silent heart attack, I'll get the advice/meds that I need.

Hopefully, from a cardiologist.

Quoted message said:

I believe I may have had an EKG many years ago, but they didn't tell me what was in it if they
did, or maybe if "rotated" heart was suspected, maybe they thought it wasn't threatening and
didn't tell me.

They would have told you about "Q waves." If you did have a "normal" EKG even many years ago, that
would exclude either a rotated heart or dextrocardia and make "silent" heart attack the most likely
diagnosis.

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I moved around and lived in so many cities, that if I did have an EKG done, I can't
remember where.

When are you seeing a cardiologist?

Nonetheless, please do keep us posted about your progress.

Humbly,

Andrew

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.comOpen ↗

--
Who is the humblest person in the universe?

makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.comOpen ↗