title: Electrocardiographic precordial mapping in anterior myocardial infarction. The critical period for interventions as exemplified by methylprednisolone.
abstract: Serial 72-point precordial mapping of ECG has been recorded to describe the natural history of changes in the precordial areas of ST segment elevation and the development of Q waves in 51 patients with acute uncomplicated anterior myocardial infarction. Eight patients have been studied in the same way but received 25 mg/kg of methylprednisolone sodium succinate as a single intravenous injection within 6 hours from the onset of chest pain. There was a linear relationship between the stable precordial area of Q waves at 24 hours and the rapidly changing precordial areas of ST segment elevation at 2--3 hours, 5--6 hours and 12 hours after the onset of pain in the untreated patients. When methylprednisolone was given, the treated patients developed a smaller precordial area of Q waves at 24 hours than was predicted from the precordial area of ST elevation recorded before the drug was given. This study has introduced a technique that can provide a qualitative assessment of the relationship between ECG evidence of ischemia and infarction in each patient.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008775:Methylprednisolone