Comprehensive evaluation of electrocardiographic methods for detection of myocardial infarction.

In two groups of patients the detection of myocardial infarction (MI) by analysis of four different electrocardiographic methods was evaluated. The various methods included the conventional 12 lead ECG (CV-ECG), the 12 lead ECG derived from Frank XYZ lead system signals (D-ECG), the polarcardiogram (PCG) and the vectorcardiogram (VCG). An invasive group consisted of 137 patients who had undergone cardiac catheterization. An MI was defined as a regional wall motion abnormality in the distribution of a coronary artery with at least 70% diameter reduction. The noninvasive group consisted of 116 patients in whom independent clinical information was limited to noninvasive assessments. In this group, Telemed Computer Systems' interpretation of the conventional (TC-ECG) and derived (TD-ECG) electrocardiogram was also available for comparison. An MI was defined in this group as either a compatible history with documented cardiac enzyme elevations, a resting defect on thallium scan, or a regional wall motion abnormality in a resting, radionuclide isotope ventriculogram. In this study the other methods of ECG evaluation demonstrated no advantage over the electrocardiographer's reading of the conventional ECG.