So, I’m on a roll with student-inspired posts. This is something we covered in class recently when talking about interpretation of 12-lead ECGs, the concept of axis deviation. An Instagram Account that I just discovered called Master Your Medics has a nice post on understanding what axis deviation is. I think this can be confusing if you’re just learning to read 12-lead ECGs. You may never have even heard the term “cardiac axis” much less “axis deviation” before. So, what is it and why does it matter?
That’s pretty basic, but that really does boil it down simply. How do you determine what your axis is on a 12-lead? That’s a little more involved, but there are some really simple techniques. I could go into a lengthy discussion here, but why reinvent the wheel? As usual, our friends over at LITFL have us covered! Mike Cadogan and Rob Buttner do a great job of explaining the cardiac axis and how to determine it for yourself (without relying on the ECG machine to tell you).
critical care notes 