An Electrocardiographic Clue for Pseudo-myocardial Infarction Due to Arterial Pulse–tapping Artifact: Aslanger’s Sign

Many factors and technical problems may alter the interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs). Infrequently, an artifact is considered to be the cause of ST-segment elevation, especially in asymptomatic patients. An important difference between true ST-segment elevation attributable to myocardial infarction and an artifact is that the baseline elevation in an artifact may begin before or after the onset of the QRS complex. When one encounters an abnormal ECG that exhibits suspicious wave contours and possibly only one completely normal limb lead, the diagnosis of arterial pulse artifact should be considered.