First off, I am not asking for medical advice; the lady is under competent medical care. I am just seeking clarification.
My mother-in-law was admitted to hospital yesterday. She was released this morning. The diagnosis is atrial fibrillation, and she is being treated by a specialist. My wife went to visit her mother today, and her mother allowed her to look at the hospital records provided for the patient to take to her family doctor. One of the notes on the ECG stated “probable anteroseptal MI”. That sounds like a heart attack! What does it mean? Any help please?
My educated guess is that the pattern on her EKG tracing was not inconsistent with the possibility of a heart attack called an “anteroseptal MI”, and the computer program which reads EKGs spit out this interpretation. If it occurred, it probably happened days or weeks or months or years ago.
But given the fact that she had atrial fibrillation at the same time, I’d be very dubious about a computer interpretation getting it correct in that setting.
I read lots of EKGs. And a lot of the time I’m busy crossing out what the computer has diagnosed on the tracing, and writing in a proper interpretation. Computers are still very stupid at reading EKGs. And too many lazy doctors are not keeping current about how to read them themselves, but that’s a rant for another day.
Her doctor should be asked about this.
Thanks Qadgop. I was hoping you would respond. My wife will follow up with her mother and doctor. Since my mother-in-law was not told that she had had a heart attack, it is likely that her specialist relied on his own interpretation of the EKG, and not the computer’s.