12 Lead Electrocardiogram question

[plrae12]

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Hey guys,

I'm not in clinicals yet and I'm wondering, what does it mean when they give you an EKG and it says ie:


An echo cardiograph shows evidence of mitral valve regurgitation (2/4)..what does 2/4, 1/4 etc. stands for?

Thanks!

 

[spicedmanna]

Hey guys,

I'm not in clinicals yet and I'm wondering, what does it mean when they give you an EKG and it says ie:


An echo cardiograph shows evidence of mitral valve regurgitation (2/4)..what does 2/4, 1/4 etc. stands for?

Thanks!

Well, first of all, an EKG is not the same as an echo. A chest echo uses sonography, sound wave reflection (sonar), to visualize your heart in motion, while a 12-lead EKG represents the electrical activity, as a function of time, of your heart in two planes, the horizontal (precordial leads) and the coronal (limb leads).

It looks like your report is a chest echo. My interpretation of the report is that the "x/4" is a grading scale, which physicians can use to notate the severity of a given phenomenon. Therefore, if this is the case, then the MR is grade 2/4. Generally, the higher the grade, the more severe the condition.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Hey guys,

I'm not in clinicals yet and I'm wondering, what does it mean when they give you an EKG and it says ie:


An echo cardiograph shows evidence of mitral valve regurgitation (2/4)..what does 2/4, 1/4 etc. stands for?

Thanks!

There are several different ways of grading based on volume or area, but in general the grades of mitral regurg are basically a measurement of the fraction of blood in the LV that doesn't leave through the aortic valve like it's supposed to.
Grade I = <20%
Grade II = 20-40%
Grade III = 40-60%
Grave IV = >60%

 

[plrae12]

Thank you for your help guys. This all really helped...and yes, I meant to ask about an Echo cardiograph. I accidentally titled it EKG 😛