CardioExchange Archive

J-point elevation in the inferior leads of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram “is not an innocuous finding in middle-aged subjects,” according to a study presented at the AHA and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Using national databases to assess outcomes in some 11,000 Finnish patients followed for an average of 30 years after a baseline ECG, researchers noted the following:

J-point elevation occurred in roughly 6% of subjects (3.5% in inferior leads and 2.4% in lateral leads).
Elevations in inferior leads were most often found among men and smokers.
J-point elevations of 0.1 mV in inferior leads were associated with significantly higher adjusted risks for death from cardiac causes (relative risk, 1.28) and arrhythmia (RR, 1.43).
Elevations of more than 0.2 mV in inferior leads were associated with a higher risk for death from any cause (RR, 1.54) and markedly higher risks for cardiac death (RR, 2.98) and arrhythmia (RR, 2.92). (See ECGS in 2 males with J-point elevations greater than 0.2 mV in the inferior leads.)
Elevations in lateral leads were only of borderline significance.