Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a clinical condition
known as the great masquerader because of its
non-specific signs and symptoms. This is the second
most common cause of cardiovascular mortality,
responsible for almost 50,000 deaths and hun-dreds of thousands of hospitalizations annually in
the United States. It afflicts millions of individuals
worldwide and is a potentially fatal condition, frequently
unrecognized and leading to increased
morbidity and mortality.
The standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG)
is non-diagnostic in a majority of cases' and has
been reported to be normal in 13% of the cases.2
Right-sided electrocardiographic recordings have
rarely been reported in the literature. The goal of
the present study is to examine the EKG changes in
right-sided leads and their diagnostic implications
in pulmonary embolism.
PATIENTS AND METHODS