Correlation between clinical findings and the "tombstoning" electrocardiographic pattern in patients with anterior wall acute myocardial infarction.

The tombstoning electrocardiographic pattern of a particular kind of ST-segment change, as observed in some patients during the early stages of acute myocardial infarction, is well known to be of prognostic value. However, little is understood of the causes and the relations of these changes. This study of 106 patients showed that in patients with tombstoning electrocardiographic patterns, infarction size is larger; left ventricular ejection fraction and preinfact angina are lower, and in-hospital complications are higher.