What does it mean to see an “ischemia” on an ECG? This probably is not the precisely correct way to state this, but I’m quoting the person it happened to, and she’s not one to ever ask a doctor what anything means. (ME: “What did the tests show?” HER: “The doctor said everything is fine.” :rolleyes: ) I googled, but the explanations were over my head.
Setup: Yesterday this girlfriend (age 67) was telling a group of us that she fell in her kitchen the other day. She hit her head and had a black eye to show for it. The door of her dishwasher was open and bent down, which made her think she fell on it or grabbed it as she fell, but she doesn’t remember. She doesn’t remember tripping or anything. She thought she might have fainted, but doesn’t know for sure. She didn’t have nausea. She didn’t go to the doctor (her regular doc) until the next day. She woke up and realized that something potentially serious had happened (which suggests some disorientation the night before). Her regular doc sent her for some tests. Among them was an ECG and “a bunch of other tests.”
She said, “There was an ischemia on the readout,” but she didn’t ask what that meant. (!) She’s going to be having more tests of some sort, which she didn’t/couldn’t name. (This lack of detail is normal for her and not a result of the fall.)
So, what does that mean? Or what might it mean? I will not be reporting back to the patient. I’m just curious. Thanks.