Reliability of Abnormal Q and QS Patterns Classified by the Minnesota Code for the Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction in Aged People

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Abstract
(1) All available electrocardiograms of 697 cases of consecutive autopsies over the age of 60, including 82 cases of myocardial infarction, were reviewed with respect to the Q and QS patterns classified by the Minnesota code. (2) Abnormal Q and QS patterns meeting the criteria of the I-1, -2 and -3 classifications were observed in 143 cases or 20.5% of all 697 cases. These patterns appeared in 101 cases or 16.4% of the 615 cases without myocardial infarction, and in 42 cases or 51.2% of the 82 cases with myocardial infarction. (3) The I-1 classification, especially of the persistent type, showed a high diagnostic reliability for myocardial infarction. The I-2 and the I-3, on the other hand, showed a low diagnostic accuracy regardless of the type of their appearance.