I put together these medical challenges. The cases are hypothetical and do not necessarily represent actual or typical presentations of medical diseases. Disclaimer is at the bottom of this page.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Bananas
This is EKG week! A hospitalized patient with known renal failure develops progressive lower extremity muscle weakness. The EKG is shown above.
Challenge: What is the abnormality seen and what is its significance?
The tall peaked and symmetric T waves (best seen in V3, V4) suggest hyperkalemia. In hyperkalemia, the first change is peaked T waves and shortened QT intervals, followed by lengthening of the PR and QRS, loss of P waves, and progression into a sine wave.
A hospitalized patient with known renal failure develops progressive lower extremity muscle weakness. The EKG is shown above.
Bananas
ReplyDeleteThe tall peaked and symmetric T waves (best seen in V3, V4) suggest hyperkalemia. In hyperkalemia, the first change is peaked T waves and shortened QT intervals, followed by lengthening of the PR and QRS, loss of P waves, and progression into a sine wave.
Sources: UpToDate; www.emedu.org.