Seamens’ Sign: A Novel Electrocardiogram Prediction Tool for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Study Objective: We developed a novel, quick, easy to use electrocardiogram (ECG) screening criterion (Seamens’ Sign) for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). This new criterion was defined as the presence of QRS complexes touching or overlapping in two contiguous precordial leads. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of 2184 patient records. The primary outcome was whether Seamens’ Sign was noninferior in confirming LVH compared to other common criteria. Test characteristics were calculated for each of the LVH criteria. Inter-rater agreement was assessed on a random sample using Cohen’s Kappa. Results: Median age was 63, 52% of patients were male and there was a 35% prevalence of LVH by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Nine percent were positive for LVH on ECG based on Seamens’ Sign. Seamens’ Sign had a specificity of 0.92. Tests assessing noninferiority indicated Seamens’ Sign was non-inferior to all criteria (p