question about heart testing

[GlennTeddy]

I recently had an EEG and I was told it appeared that I have had a heart attack in the recent past. I then went on to have a stress test and some imaging done on my heart and this came back clear (no issues were discovered). How accurate are each test and should I worry about the first EEG or just chalk it up to an anomaly in the readings

Thanks so much for any input on this

[PJM]

I would talk this over with your cardiologist..not here on a public forum.Just my opinion.
There are many very knowledgeable people here and would try to offer their help ..but this needs a doctor's input.Your attending doctor..or cardiologist.
This is way too important a question.

PJM

[Stefan]

Yes, a second (third) oppinion is prudent in a case like that!

[LJWagner]

The EEG shows the proper pattern for a fully functioning heart muscle. Most likely the small heart attack left some dead tissue, so the muscle electrical pattern is no longer standard. A sonogram would give a picture of the heart and would reveal just what bit of tissue died. Nice that it is a just a small bit.

My last sonogram in October 2007 showed a strip of dead tissue about the size of a small Bandaid across the bottom of my heart, the apex. I don't think it has affected my exercise.

Cut back on fats in the diet, and get more high anti-oxidant fruits.

[GlennTeddy]

The EEG shows the proper pattern for a fully functioning heart muscle. Most likely the small heart attack left some dead tissue, so the muscle electrical pattern is no longer standard. A sonogram would give a picture of the heart and would reveal just what bit of tissue died. Nice that it is a just a small bit.

My last sonogram in October 2007 showed a strip of dead tissue about the size of a small Bandaid across the bottom of my heart, the apex. I don't think it has affected my exercise.

Cut back on fats in the diet, and get more high anti-oxidant fruits.

[owain_thomas]

Hi GlennTeddy,

don't take this as specific medical advice, as that sort of thing without face to face contact and more information won't do either of us any good; as others have suggested you need to discuss this with your doctor. BUT, in general terms, I would hold more store in what the stress test and echo say than a resting ECG.

some of the signs on a resting ECG that can indicate previous infarctions are also caused by other things. it really depends on what changes were seen and the exact results of the other tests which is why a good chat with your doctor is advisable.

[BobD]

And can find things like I have, a defective leaky Mitral Valve and enlarged chamber

[Nightrower]

An ECG presents an electrical tracing of the heartbeat, but does not take into account normal variants. There is the "normal" heart tracing that everyone uses as the standard from which to work from when analyzing an ECG. Without a prior study for comparison, the doctor who sent you for the echo and such was being both reasonable and prudent.

As said, speak to your doctor as well, but I would consider carrying a copy of the ECG around with you. This way, if you DO end up in a strange ED with chest pain, you have a tracing to compare from, thus taking into account any potential "normal" variants present on your tracing.

Darren

[GlennTeddy]

Thanks Everyone for the responses. I did have a discussion with my doctor and she informed me that she cannot rule out that something happened to me in the past (in regards to my heart) but the follow-on tests showed that I do not have any blockages (good news). She has told me that she will monitor things on future checkups just to make sure that I continue to be OK.