"Probable Myocardial infarction of indeterminate age".

[scout70]

I've had afib for about a year and a half and it's reasonably well controlled, it seems, by bisoprolol and aPixaban. Consultant advised to leave it alone and will probably need a pacemaker in the future. He did an ECG on me yesterday and the words at the top of the print out were what I have shown at the top of this post. Can anyone tell me if that means I have had a small heart attack at some stage?! Forgot to ask him because I was in and out so quickly.

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes but the operative word is "probable".

To be honest I never take much notice of computer generated results and prefer to accept my cardiologists reading of any ECGs .

[scout70 in reply to BobD]

Thank you, Bob

[MrJD]

Agree with Bob.

Professionally I interpret ECGs without reference to the computer generated report. As do most HCPs. The computer software cannot apply context ie history, symptoms etc

Your cardiologist knows your history and would do likewise.

[scout70 in reply to MrJD]

Thank you!

[Ppiman]

That would, as Bob says, have been a computer generated message. It's worth asking your GP about it. An "infarct" is a damaged area of heart muscle, so will have shown on any echocardiogram scans you have had in the past. On an ECG it is only suggested by certain electrical signals showing and would need further confirmation, I believe.

Steve

[scout70 in reply to Ppiman]

Thank you, Ppiman. Much appreciated

[LPE44]

After my 2nd ablation 12 days ago, my ECG showed as previous MI - which I did have after my 1st ablation. Curious that previously it showed Afib but not the older MI. Maybe some kind of rating system that shows current issue?

[scout70 in reply to LPE44]

Thanks for that, LP. Yes, curious indeed. It's difficult to get answers sometimes because these guys are all in such a rush. It frustrates me a bit. But, then again, maybe we're better off not knowing too much and just trying to get on with our lives😀?!

[LPE44 in reply to scout70]

This link seems to have some sensible information re: EKG's and their ability to correctly/incorrectly show a previous heart attack. It appears that an EKG is not a fool-proof indicator. healthline.com/health/heart...

[scout70 in reply to LPE44]

Thank you!

[LPE44 in reply to scout70]

So I was at my cardiac device review appointment yesterday. The doc is so lovely and always answers all of my regular and obscure questions. This was one of them... he said that my two echo-cardiograms showed no damage to my heart. An EKG that shows a previous MI would then be followed up with an echo to determine the damage and my two (after my MI) did not. Therefore, he disagreed with the latest EKG - that it was false and misleading. It could be that having just come out of surgery (ablation) may have triggered the false reading.

I have come to realize that while these tools (EKG, echo, stress, etc.) are very useful, they need to be used in combination with each other and also reviewed by knowledgeable doctors. Only then can a realistic diagnosis be made.

[scout70 in reply to LPE44]

Thank you for that, LP. Very interesting indeed