title: Brugada electrocardiographic pattern: reality or fiction?
abstract: In many cases, failure to perform an electrocardiogram according to established standards can lead to incorrect diagnosis. When this error involves a disease that can result in sudden death such as Brugada syndrome, diagnostic procedures are not without risk for the patient. A 20 year-old man visited his family doctor for atypical chest pain some time before. Electrocardiography (ECG) showed sinus rhythm of 47 bpm with striking ST-elevation in V1-V3 suggestive of the Brugada pattern. Sometimes, the different low-frequency components of the ECG, such as the ST segment, may be distorted by high cutoff filters resulting in diagnostic errors [Am J Cardiol 2012;110:318-320]. Faced with an apparent Brugada syndrome pattern on ECG, clinicians should ensure the recording was correctly made.
authors.affiliation: Servicios Sanitarios del Área de Salud de El Hierro, Valle del Golfo Health Center, Islas Canarias, Spain. Electronic address: jniebla72@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Niebla
authors.affiliation: Gem-Med S.L., Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serra-Autonell
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Unidad Coronaria, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiol
authors.affiliation: Institut Catala d'Ciencies Cardiovasculars, Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayés de Luna
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D053840:Brugada Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brugada syndrome; Electrocardiogram; Sudden death