Evaluation of Electrocardiogram Changes in Patients with Slow Coronary Flow

Background: Slow coronary flow (SCF) is defined as a condition in which in spite of no evidence of coronary occlusion or stenosis in angiography, there is delayed pacification of the vessels after the injection of a contrast agent. There are several studies about electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in these patients, but changes like OLD MI, RBBB, LBBB, LVH and ST-T wave have not been evaluated in them and sample sizes in these studies have been also small. The aim of this study was to evaluate electrocardiogram changes in patients with slow coronary flow referred to Shafa Hospital affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 3000 patients with probable diagnosis of coronary occlusion referred to Shafa hospital affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences were screened. Elective coronary angiography was performed for all patients using Judkinz standard method and the findings were analyzed by two cardiologists. Also, standard 12-lead electrocardiogram was recorded for the patients. Finally, 57 patients with normal coronary flow and 105 patients with slow coronary flow were included in this study. Results: Frequency of SCF was 3.5%. The electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in patients with SCF were evaluated and it was revealed that greatest changes were related to T wave and the most frequent form was inverted T wave (57.1%). There was no significant difference in these changes between SCF group and NCF group (P=0.279). The other electrocardiogram changes in the two groups did not reveal any statistically significant difference. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, CSF can be diagnosed on the basis of angiographic findings, while electrocardiogram changes are non- specific findings in these patients.