Article Text
Summary
T wave inversion (TWI) has many differential diagnoses with acute myocardial ischaemia being the highest on the list of potential causes. Cardiac T wave memory is a benign, under-recognised and clinically important phenomenon seen after periods of altered ventricular conduction. After normal ventricular conduction is restored, the T wave ‘remembers’ and mirrors the direction of the wide QRS complex. Therefore, negative T waves are seen in leads that had negative wide QRS complexes. We describe the case of a 60-year-old truck driver with chest pain, deep TWI and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. After ruling out significant myocardial ischaemia, it was crucial to determine the cause of his T wave changes to provide reassurance and provide commercial license medical clearance. While it is currently a diagnosis of exclusion, it remains an important clinical entity for clinicians to recognise to provide an explanation for certain T wave changes to avoid future unnecessary cardiac testing.
- arrhythmias
- ischaemic heart disease
- pacing and electrophysiology
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Contributors DP contributed to case report writing, literature search and patient follow up. AA-K contributed to case report writing, supervision, patient consent and follow up.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.