The electrocardiogram in chronic lung disease.

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Abstract
A comparison was made between the ecg and the ventricular weights of 46 patients with chronic lung disease. Right axis deviation (frontal plane axis + 91[degree] to [plus or minus] 180[degree]) was the most reliable sign of right ventricular hypertrophy, but in the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy or myocardial ischemia the ecg was of little value in the diagnosis of right ventricular hypertrophy. None of the ecg changes investigated were a reliable guide to the degree of ventricular hypertrophy. Apart from dominant S waves in the precordial leads, the ecg from the patients with emphysema had nothing in common. Some of the changes previously attributed to emphysema may be due to myocardial disease.