Influence of electrode misplacement on the electrocardiographic signs of inferior myocardial ischemia

Electrocardiographic (ECG) artifacts resulting from misplacements of electrodes are frequent, difficult to detect, and can become of clinical importance. We investigated 2 healthy volunteers and 3 patients with ECG signs of inferior myocardial scars. We exchanged the peripheral electrodes in a defined manner and investigated the resulting ECG for morphology and possible diagnostic errors. In the volunteers, ECG signs of inferior ischemia could be produced. In the patients with ischemic heart disease, normal ECG without signs of ischemia resulted by placing the electrode of the left leg to the left arm. The automatic ECG analyzer was not helpful in detecting artifacts by misplaced electrodes. A very low amplitude of the QRS complex in lead I, II, or III was pathognomonic for electrode misplacement in half of the cases. ECG artifacts must also be suspected when abnormal QRS- or P-axis occur or when QRS morphology does not match with the clinical presentation of the patient.