ECG not reliable marker for predicting heart disease

GREATER KAILASH, India - Nov. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Doing an ECG is of little use in predicting future heart problems for people who are examined because of chest pain, said Padma Shri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India. During winter months both angina and heart attacks increases.

Chest pain is the most common reason people seek medical attention for possible heart trouble, and an ECG, is a common test for such people. ECG can be normal in the first six hours even in frank heart attacks. Missing the diagnosis of heart attack on ECG is the commonest mistake done in the emergency rooms.

The most important parameters still remain is the classical history and physical findings.

1.     Chest pain which can be pin pointed by a finger is not a heart pain

2.     Pain lasting less than 30 seconds is not a heart pain

3.     Heart pain is disuse in the center of the chest lasting more than minutes and   manifesting as heaviness, burning, discomfort, heaviness or pain often precipitated by physical or mental exertion.

When in doubt one should do an exercise stress test and if negative these patients should be reassessed for risk factors.

If the patient is at high risk even with negative treadmill should undergo risk reduction management for prevention of future heart attacks.

High risk patients are smokers, presence of blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes.

About HCFI : The only National Not for profit NGO, on whose mega community health education events, Govt. of India has released two National Commemorative stamps and one cancellation stamp, and who has conducted one to one training on” Hands only CPR” of 71933 people since 1st November 2012.

The CPR 10 Mantra is – “Within 10 minutes of death, earlier the better; at least for the next 10 minutes, longer the better; compress the centre of the chest of the dead person continuously and effectively with a speed of 10x10 i.e. 100 per minute.”

http://www.emedinews.org/press-release