New echocardiographic observations in a patient with dissimilar atrial rhythms.
A patient with an impure flutter was found to have dissimilar atrial rhythms that were confirmed by direct ECG recordings. Echocardiographic studies disclosed that the a waves on the mitral echocardiogram occurred synchronously with the a waves on the esophageal ECG that, in turn, showed atrial flutter at a rate of 300 beats per minute. However, the a waves on the tricuspid echocardiogram coincided closely with the P waves on a surface ECG (lead V) that disclosed a chaotic atrial tachyarrhythmia. These results suggest that echocardiographic study, in conjunction with an esophageal ECG, may be a useful, noninvasive technique for the diagnosis of dissimilar atrial rhythms.
D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000175:diagnosis; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis; D014261:Tricuspid Valve