Assessment of myocardial ischemia by 12-lead electrocardiography and Frank vector system during coronary angioplasty: value of a new orthogonal lead system for quantitative ST segment monitoring

Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Gent, Belgium.

The optimal number and placement of electrocardiographic (ECG) leads to detect myocardial ischemia induced by coronary balloon inflation was assessed by analyzing ST segment changes in the standard 12-lead ECG and Frank X, Y, Z leads at 90-s intervals during 34 consecutive coronary angioplasty procedures. Mean occlusion time during angioplasty was 218 +/- 65 s. Myocardial ischemia, defined as transient angina or ST segment deviation greater than or equal to 1 mm in at least one lead, occurred in 33 (97%) of the 34 procedures. The most sensitive single leads (V2 or V3) detected 17 (51%) of 33 ischemic episodes. The best dual-lead combinations (leads V2 and V5, leads a VF and V3 and leads V3 and Y) increased the sensitivity of 69% (23 of 33). The three-lead combination V2, V5, Y had the highest detecting power (78% [26 of 33]). The X, Y, Z leads by themselves had a sensitivity of only 60% (20 of 33). From this proposed orthogonal lead system (V2, V5, Y), which combines anteroposterior (V2), left to right (V5) and inferosuperior (Y) forces, the spatial ST vector magnitude was calculated and monitored during balloon inflations. A good correlation was observed between this ST vector magnitude and the sum of ST deviations on the standard ECG (r = 0.940, p less than 0.00001), and these data were reproducible over sequential balloon inflations. The results of the study suggest that this orthogonal lead system is of considerable value in the detection and quantification of acute myocardial ischemia and, in this respect, is more useful than the Frank orthogonal vector system.