Does presence of R wave forces on surface electrocardiogram predict myocardial viability in patients with coronary disease and left ventricular dysfunction? Correlation with cardiac MRI

Background Clinicians use presence of Q waves as a sign of transmural infarction although this is an imperfect marker to predict lack of myocardial viability (MV). We hypothesized that presence of R waves as a marker of electrical activity on surface electrocardiogram (ECG) may be a sensitive marker for presence of MV as determined by delayed enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (DECMR) imaging.