Coronary artery disease affects more than 18 million people in the United States and continues to be the most common cause of death for men and women; it is responsible for more than 365000 deaths annually.1 Frequently, the onset of chest pain is what drives patients to seek medical care. The chest pain patients experience can be a diagnostic challenge. The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is at the center of decision-making to distinguish among myocardial ischemia (unstable angina), non–ST-segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI). These 3 cardiac events fall into a category called acute coronary syndromes, a spectrum of pathophysiological substrates producing myocardial ischemia, injury, and infarction; the category also includes a framework for interventions. The purpose of this column is to review the indicative and reciprocal ECG changes associated with STEMI and provide a review of the location of the common infarctions and the ECG leads...
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Spring 2025
ECG Challenges|
March 15 2025
Acute Coronary Syndromes: Myocardial Infarction
Rose Shaffer, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FAHA;
Rose Shaffer, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FAHA
Rose Shaffer is Cardiology Nurse Practitioner, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Barbara “Bobbi” Leeper, MN, APRN CNS-MS, CCRN, CV-BC, FAHA
Barbara “Bobbi” Leeper, MN, APRN CNS-MS, CCRN, CV-BC, FAHA
Department Editor
Barbara “Bobbi” Leeper is Consultant, Cardiovascular and Critical Care Nursing, Dallas, Texas ([email protected]).
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AACN Adv Crit Care (2025) 36 (1): 85–91.
Citation
Rose Shaffer, Barbara “Bobbi” Leeper; Acute Coronary Syndromes: Myocardial Infarction. AACN Adv Crit Care 15 March 2025; 36 (1): 85–91. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2025584
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