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Understanding the EKG changes in methemoglobinemia

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Abstract

Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that has been oxidized, changing its heme iron configuration from the ferrous to the ferric state. Unlike normal hemoglobin, methemoglobin does not bind oxygen and as a result, cannot deliver oxygen to the tissues. At the presentation in the emergency department, an electrocardiogram (EKG) is usually performed as a reflex for patients admitted for shortness of breath to rule out acute coronary syndrome. Very limited data is available on EKG abnormalities in patients with methemoglobinemia. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the pattern of EKG changes in patients with methemoglobinemia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA, USA

    Pramukh Arun Kumar, Mahati Dasari, Ibragim Al-Seykal & Ajay K. Mishra

  2. Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Kamal Kant Sahu

Authors
  1. Pramukh Arun Kumar
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  2. Mahati Dasari
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  3. Kamal Kant Sahu
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  4. Ibragim Al-Seykal
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  5. Ajay K. Mishra
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Mahati Dasari, Ibragim Al-Seykal, and Ajay K Mishra. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Pramukh Arun Kumar and edited by Kamalkant Sahu. All authors commented on previous versions and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pramukh Arun Kumar.

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Research involving human participants and/or animals.

This study does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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This study was a retrospective analysis and no intervention was conducted on human participants. Hence, no informed consent obtained.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Arun Kumar, P., Dasari, M., Sahu, K.K. et al. Understanding the EKG changes in methemoglobinemia. Ann Hematol 101, 2107–2110 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-022-04878-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-022-04878-9

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