Sinus tachycardia masquerading as ventricular tachycardia. 1990

N Kanemoto, and H Atsumi
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan.

We describe here a 87-year-old male who came to the emergency room with the chief complaints of dyspnea and chest pain. His electrocardiogram showed a wide QRS tachycardia with a heart rate of 140 beats/min, a left bundle branch block pattern and low voltage in leads I, aVL, V5 and V6. A long strip showed a premature ventricular complex, and the sinus beat just after the extrasystole showed P waves which were positive in leads I, II, III and a VF similar in shape to those in sinus rhythm. Therefore, a diagnosis of sinus tachycardia with tachycardia dependent left bundle branch block was made. The low voltage in the left lateral leads was ascribed to pneumothorax of the left lung. When a wide QRS tachycardia is encountered in an emergency situation, marked sinus tachycardia with coexistent bundle branch block or aberrant ventricular conduction should be taken into consideration.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D002037 Bundle-Branch Block A form of heart block in which the electrical stimulation of HEART VENTRICLES is interrupted at either one of the branches of BUNDLE OF HIS thus preventing the simultaneous depolarization of the two ventricles. Fascicular Block,Anterior Fascicular Block,Bundle Branch Block,Left Bundle-Branch Block,Posterior Fascicular Block,Right Bundle-Branch Block,Anterior Fascicular Blocks,Block, Anterior Fascicular,Block, Bundle Branch,Block, Bundle-Branch,Block, Fascicular,Block, Left Bundle-Branch,Block, Posterior Fascicular,Block, Right Bundle-Branch,Blocks, Anterior Fascicular,Blocks, Bundle Branch,Blocks, Bundle-Branch,Blocks, Fascicular,Blocks, Left Bundle-Branch,Blocks, Posterior Fascicular,Blocks, Right Bundle-Branch,Branch Block, Bundle,Branch Blocks, Bundle,Bundle Branch Blocks,Bundle-Branch Block, Left,Bundle-Branch Block, Right,Bundle-Branch Blocks,Bundle-Branch Blocks, Left,Bundle-Branch Blocks, Right,Fascicular Block, Anterior,Fascicular Block, Posterior,Fascicular Blocks,Fascicular Blocks, Anterior,Fascicular Blocks, Posterior,Left Bundle Branch Block,Left Bundle-Branch Blocks,Posterior Fascicular Blocks,Right Bundle Branch Block,Right Bundle-Branch Blocks
D003937 Diagnosis, Differential Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures. Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004562 Electrocardiography Recording of the moment-to-moment electromotive forces of the HEART as projected onto various sites on the body's surface, delineated as a scalar function of time. The recording is monitored by a tracing on slow moving chart paper or by observing it on a cardioscope, which is a CATHODE RAY TUBE DISPLAY. 12-Lead ECG,12-Lead EKG,12-Lead Electrocardiography,Cardiography,ECG,EKG,Electrocardiogram,Electrocardiograph,12 Lead ECG,12 Lead EKG,12 Lead Electrocardiography,12-Lead ECGs,12-Lead EKGs,12-Lead Electrocardiographies,Cardiographies,ECG, 12-Lead,EKG, 12-Lead,Electrocardiograms,Electrocardiographies, 12-Lead,Electrocardiographs,Electrocardiography, 12-Lead
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000369 Aged, 80 and over Persons 80 years of age and older. Oldest Old
D013610 Tachycardia Abnormally rapid heartbeat, usually with a HEART RATE above 100 beats per minute for adults. Tachycardia accompanied by disturbance in the cardiac depolarization (cardiac arrhythmia) is called tachyarrhythmia. Tachyarrhythmia,Tachyarrhythmias,Tachycardias
D013616 Tachycardia, Sinus Simple rapid heartbeats caused by rapid discharge of impulses from the SINOATRIAL NODE, usually between 100 and 180 beats/min in adults. It is characterized by a gradual onset and termination. Sinus tachycardia is common in infants, young children, and adults during strenuous physical activities. Sinus Tachycardia,Sinus Tachycardias,Tachycardias, Sinus

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