October 21, 1999New England Journal of Medicine222 citationsOpen Access
View Full PaperClinical Consequences of Electrocardiographic Artifact Mimicking Ventricular Tachycardia
Key Result
Misdiagnosis of electrocardiographic artifact as ventricular tachycardia led to unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in 12 patients.
Study Design
Type
Observational (n=12)
Multicenter
No
Structured PICO
P
Population
12 patients who underwent unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic interventions due to the misdiagnosis of electrocardiographic artifact as ventricular tachycardia between 1995 and 1999.
O
Outcome
Unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic interventions
Misdiagnosis of ECG artifact as ventricular tachycardia can lead to unnecessary and potentially harmful diagnostic or therapeutic interventions.
Abstract
Electrocardiographic artifact can simulate ventricular tachycardia. The literature regarding electrocardiographic artifact is limited to case reports,1–7 proposed classifications,8,9 and diagnostic criteria.10 There is little information regarding the clinical implications of the misdiagnosis of artifact as ventricular tachycardia. We describe 12 patients who underwent unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic interventions as a result of such a misdiagnosis. Methods We included in this series patients who were seen in consultation by a cardiac electrophysiologist at our institution between 1995 and 1999 and who underwent a diagnostic procedure or received treatment unnecessarily, solely as a result of the misdiagnosis of artifact as . . .