Contributor: Jared Scott, MD

Educational Pearls:

• EKGs look at different angles, or vectors, of the heart’s electrical conduction as it travels through the heart. Knowing how to read these vectors is essential in diagnosing locations of cardiac pathologies
•  Leads II, III, and aVF follow an inferior path, so ST elevation in those leads indicates inferior involvement
• Major complications more common with inferior STEMIs can include: 
• • hypotension which can be made worse by nitroglycerin
  • Severe bradycardia due to SA/AV node involvement
• Inferior STEMI, barring no hypotension or bradycardia, have better mortality than other types 

References

Warner MJ, Tivakaran VS. Inferior Myocardial Infarction. 2020 Aug 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan–. PMID: 29262146.

Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD