Dextrocardia

Report:

Atrial fibrillation

Mirror-image dextrocardia

Comment:

The dextrocardia was an incidental finding in this patient with traumatic subdural hæmatoma. There was no evidence of cardiopulmonary disease apart from AF. The latter could have been triggered by the cerebral trauma.

Some cardiologists demand a repeat trace in dextrocardia, with right sided V leads. It is, of course, unlikely that the leads V3R-6R would supply any vital additional information in ECGs taken for routine purposes. Still, it is more excusable than demanding a repeat ECG for reversed arm leads (the computer does it, too, when it recognises it). Arm reversal should not prevent anyone from reading the ECG.

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