Introduction: Right ventricular infarction, previously thought to be rare and recently thought to be common, is commonly associated with inferior wall myocardial infarction. We will hereby study the clinical profile of right ventricular infarction (as diagnosed by right precordial electrocardiography) in patients with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction and the clinical course of RV infarction in inferior wall myocardial infarction in terms of complications.
Aims and objectives: 1. To study the incidence of right ventricular infarction in patients of acute inferior myocardial infarction using right precordial electrocardiography. 2. To study the complications of right ventricular infarction. 3. To study the response of specific therapy in patients with right ventricular infarction.
Materials & methods: 50 patients with a history of chest pain less than 24 h were included in the study, standard 12 leads electrocardiography along with right side chest leads were taken on admission and on daily morning at 7 AM routinely for the first three days. A detailed clinical examination was done to find out the presence of right ventricular failure, left ventricular failure, hypotension and cardiogenic shock at the time of admission. Each patient was subjected to investigations viz. cardiac enzymes. Patients were grouped into two groups group A and group B according to the presence or absence of right ventricular infarction respectively.
Results: Of the total studied 50 patients, 16 patients had right ventricular infarction in association with inferior wall infarction of left ventricle. Complicated course was present in 75% of patients in group A as compared to 29.42% of patients in group B.
Conclusion: Complications and in-hospital mortality rates were more common in patients with right ventricular infarction than in patients without it.
Keywords: Acute inferior wall myocardial infarction; Electrocardiography; Right ventricular infarction.