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Biomedical subjects

G E Dower

Publications and source records attributed to G E Dower.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Standardization of electrocardiographic interpretive statements: a menu for word processing.

Standardization of electrocardiographic interpretive statements is a goal of various coding systems, but word processing has not usually been considered. A simple, easily memorized system for clinical electrocardiography has been developed and used for approximately 60 000 interpretations. It takes the form of a "menu", in which boxes stand for various interpretive statements; the boxes are identified by mnemonics and marked by the interpreter when appropriate. The results provide better standardization, significant decreases in the numbers of descriptive statements and words per interpretation and considerable saving in typing time. Acceptance by the interpreters has been good. Features of the system allow for word processing as part of a polarcardiography computing system.

Computers

XYZ data interpreted by a 12-lead computer program using the derived electrocardiogram.

The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) derived from the Frank xyz signals was compared with the conventional 12-lead ECG using the Telemed computer system. In 100 cases studied. Telemed's interpretations were essentially similar in 77, but substantially different in 23. In the 23 cases, interpretations of the derived tracings tended to be more accurate in 14 cases, and less accurate in four cases. In the diagnosis of infarction the probability that the interpretation of the derived tracing will be correct more often was 90%. The better performance may have been related to closer agreement with the vectorcardiogram (VCG). As a substitute for the conventional ECG, the derived ECG offers the prospect of a computerized system that is more practical and more versatile than most currently used systems.

Bundle-Branch Block

Polarcardiographic criteria for infarction evaluated by angiocardiography.

Out of a series of 1000 consecutive patients studied by angiocardiography, two groups were selected on the basis of the probability of having suffered myocardial infarction: an infarction group of 324 cases, and a non-infarction group of 112 cases. Members of the infarction group had complete occlusion of at least one major coronary artery; members of the non-infarction group had less than 50% occlusion in all coronary arteries, normal hemodynamics, and negative histories of infarction. The diagnostic performances of the independently-read 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and the polarcardiograms (PCGs) were evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, validity and risk ratio. The performance of the ECG was significantly lower than the PCG. Corresponding figures were 56%, 99%, 67%, and 1.67 for the ECG, and 75%, 91%, 80%, and 2.23 for the PCG. There is a 99.9% probability that the PCG can detect at least 21% more cases of infarction than the ECG can.

Adult

Polarcardiographic criteria for myocardial infarction in Chinese men.

Polarcardiograms (PCG) derived from xyz leads of the Frank electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded in the supine position in 1264 initially healthy middle-aged Chinese men who had been under continuing medical surveillance and were re-examined seven years later. Polarcardiographic criteria for myocardial infarction (MI) were demonstrated in 97 men (7.7%), but only 15 of them showed diagnostic Q waves in the electrocardiogram (ECG). Polarcardiographic criteria for MI were independent of age, but ranged from 4.3% in 464 apparently normal men to 38% in 21 men with manifestations of ischemic heart disease. The possible association of polarcardiographic criteria and a history of smoking was limited to those with clinical evidence of heart disease. The "false positive" rate of 4.3% in clinically normal men was similar to that reported in younger Canadians and in Cretan population samples.

Adult