THE AURICULAR WAVE (P) OF THE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM

Abstract
LITERATURE Studies concerning the diagnostic significance of changes in the auricular or P wave of the electrocardiogram have not been numerous. Increase in height and prolongation of the wave, occurring most often in mitral stenosis, have been noted by Einthoven,1Kraus and Nicolai2and Samojloff;3Goddard4assumed a more or less definite quantitative relationship to exist between such augmentation of the P wave and auricular hypertrophy. He considered as increased all P waves when they were greater than T in the same curve, that isChecking this relationship, he found that there was some relative increase in height (of the P wave) in 54 per cent. of the cases of mitral disease studied. However, in five cases that came to necropsy, one with very slight hypertrophy of the auricle showed marked exaggeration of the P wave while another with decided hypertrophy showed only a slight relative alteration of the P.

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