As a medical professional with expertise in cardiology, I can provide you with an explanation of a Delta wave on an ECG.
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Delta wave on an ECG is a distinctive waveform that represents a slow, slurred upstroke in the initial part of the QRS complex. This upstroke is due to the abnormally rapid conduction of electrical impulses through an accessory pathway, which is an extra electrical pathway that bypasses the normal delay in the atrioventricular (AV) node. The presence of a Delta wave is indicative of a pre-excitation syndrome, with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome being the most well-known example.
The characteristic ECG findings in WPW syndrome include:
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short PR interval (less than 120 milliseconds), which indicates that the electrical impulse is reaching the ventricles earlier than it should.
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broad QRS complex (greater than 100 milliseconds), which reflects the abnormal ventricular activation due to the premature depolarization of the ventricles.
The Delta wave is the hallmark of WPW syndrome and is a critical diagnostic feature on the ECG.
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