EKG assume 35 year old male?

[brownbook]

In our surgical clinic we occasionally do EKG's. These are rarely (thank goodness) for chest pain. They are simply per anesthesia request based on patient's age, history, etc., and the patient's chart might not have an EKG.

Our EKG machine allows the nurse to input patient's name, sex, age, medications, etc.. Every nurse simply runs the EKG without putting in the above information so the EKG always has the caution that sex and age were not entered, assume 35 year old male. (I think it is 35, something in that ball park).

Do you think it would make any small or big difference in the machine's interpretation if they took the time to put in sex and age?

[Blindsided]

I occasionally do ECGs too. I try to put in the sex and age. I am interested in any response you might get. Good question. Thanks :)

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

Sounds like a question for the device manufacturer or operating manual - I don't know what that machine uses the info for or whether it changes the interpretation. In any case, you should not rely on the automated interpretation but on a trained person interpreting the result. Is someone looking at them?

[inchii]

Of all the ECG machines I've used, those data are usually used for patient identification. Ideally, it would be good to enter those data, so when you or docs read them, you can see some info about the pt. But on times of STAT ECGs, sometimes you won't have the time to enter those data. But just as ghillbert said on his post, it might depend on the machine's operating manual.

[brownbook]

Thanks I will look at the owners manual. Anesthesia just takes a quick glance a them.

[getoverit, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

It can make a difference based on the input of a patient's age and gender. I did a 12 lead EKG class for the fire department and one of the officers volunteered to be a patient. When we entered his age and sex, the interpretation read "abnormal EKG". I changed the input to a 90 year old woman, ran the strip again and it said "normal sinus rhythm". We still rag on the captain and tell him he has the heart of an old lady!!

But like ghillbert said, the most important thing is having them interpreted by a person and not relying on the automated interpretation from the machine.

[dissent]

In our surgical clinic we occasionally do EKG's. These are rarely (thank goodness) for chest pain. They are simply per anesthesia request based on patient's age, history, etc., and the patient's chart might not have an EKG.

Our EKG machine allows the nurse to input patient's name, sex, age, medications, etc.. Every nurse simply runs the EKG without putting in the above information so the EKG always has the caution that sex and age were not entered, assume 35 year old male. (I think it is 35, something in that ball park).

Do you think it would make any small or big difference in the machine's interpretation if they took the time to put in sex and age?

The Sex will change interpretation of LVH so I assume the same is the case for the machine as well. Based on which criteria you use, need lower volts to qualify for LVH as a woman.

It shouldn't change the interpretation of rhythm, rate, axis or intervals. It shouldn't change the chamber enlargement for the atrial or right ventricle.

Depending on which criteria you use, gender would also change interpretation of anterior infarcts (age undetermined) but not acute infarcts.

[Ashleyjo18]

It's also used to tell if ST elevation is an MI or if it's just early repol. Generally in someone you get than 40 ST elevation is going to be early repol.