title: The classical versus the Cabrera presentation system for resting electrocardiography: Impact on recognition and understanding of clinically important electrocardiographic changes.
abstract: The classical system for presentation of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) reflects the electrical activity of the heart as viewed in the transverse plane by 6 leads with a single anatomically ordered sequence, V1-V6; but in the frontal plane by 6 leads with dual sequences, I, II, and III, and aVR, aVL, and aVF. However, there is also a single anatomically ordered sequence of leads, called the Cabrera display that presents the six frontal plane leads in their anatomically ordered sequence of: aVL, I, -aVR, II, aVF, and III. Although it has been recognized that the Cabrera system has clinical diagnostic advantages compared to the classical display, it is currently only used in Sweden. The primary explanation of why the Cabrera system has not been adopted internationally has been that analog ECG recorders had technical limitations. Currently, however, the classical system is most often seen as a historical remnant that prevails because of conservatism within the cardiology community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Lak12ala@student.lu.se.
authors.forename: Anny
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 2400 Pratt, Suite 0306, Box 3626, NC, USA. Electronic address: Galen.wagner@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Galen S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Olle.pahlm@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pahlm
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular
keywords: Cabrera system; Cardiac disease; Diagnostic criteria; Electrocardiography