This is NOT taught well and impacts more than you think.
Understand it in 2 minutes:
The problem?
π Most don't understand how to interpret troponins
π Most don't understand the actual definition of an infarction
π Proper diagnosis (& documentation) β‘οΈ impacts clinical decisions and quality metrics
They have three distinct meanings and easy to get them mixed up.
Two things must be present for an acute Myocardial INFARCTION
1οΈβ£ Acute myocardial INJURY
2οΈβ£ ISCHEMIC Signs OR symptoms
(notice the *OR* here)
Let's break those down.
First, myocardial injury...
1 / What is INJURY?
A fluctuation of troponins by 20%. Whether this be:
π A rise of 20% (with at least one elevated or
π A fall of 20% if initial was elevated
What if elevated but does not change by 20%? Will answer this later.
Signs
π ST elevation or depression
π New flipped T wave
π New LBBB
π New pathological Q waves
π NM stress with new loss of viable myocardium (NOT scar)
π New ventricular wall motion abnormality
π Identification of coronary thrombus on LHC or autopsy
3 / What are the types of INFARCTions?
Type 1 (STEMI vs NSTEMI)
π Acute coronary artery occlusion due to plaque disruption
π Treatment β‘οΈ dissolve clot / open blockage
(Reminder: Must have Injury + Ischemic signs or symptoms)
Type 2 (NSTEMI)
π Imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and/or demand results in INFARCTion
π Treatment β‘οΈ relieve demand / non-CAD factors
(Reminder: Must have Injury + Ischemic signs or symptoms)
Other types of infarctions:
Type 3 = Sudden death without biomarkers
Type 4a = PCI related AMI
Type 4b = Due to stent thrombosis
Type 4c = Stent re-stenosis
TYpe 5 = CABG related.
Won't go into detail about these.
4 / What about elevated troponins alone?
That is myocardial INJURY w/o ischemia (thus not infarction)
In SOAP notes, mistakes dominate assessment and plans.
To stand out and prevent mistakes, you need to understand the principles behind accurate yet efficient notes.
Here are 4 habits for mastering a mistake-free A&P:
1οΈβ£ Format for easy editing
A&P's have assessments....and plans. Don't mix them together.
Keep them separate. This way you can
πΉDelete the reasoning the next day (if it was accurate) for conciseness
πΉQuickly edit versus sifting through a paragraph - saving you time β
Exπ
2οΈβ£ Use dates vs relative terms
Everyone is copy/forwarding their plan from their prior note. Relative terms such as "tomorrow," "yesterday," and "in 6 weeks" become inaccurate.
Dates remain accurate despite copy/forward.
You also don't need to edit them, saving you timeβ
They have three distinct meanings and easy to get them mixed up.
Two things must be present for an acute Myocardial INFARCTION
1οΈβ£ Acute myocardial INJURY
2οΈβ£ ISCHEMIC Signs OR symptoms
(notice the *OR* here)
You have to classify heart failure to truly know how to treat the patient.
3 tips to classifying heart failure and ensuring proper care:
1 / Ejection Fraction
πΉ HF w reduced EF (HFrEF): LVEF β€40%
πΉ HF w preserved EF (HFpEF): LVEF β₯50%
πΉ HF w mildly reduced EF (HFmrEF): LVEF 41β49%
πΉ HF w improved EF (HFimpEF): LVEF β€40% + β₯10 pt increase from baseline, w/ 2nd >40%
But what about systolic vs diastolic?
That's the "old" way of classifying heart failure but is still needed for coding.. but coders convert it for you: