The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome with ST segment elevation (STEMI) is based on clinical symptoms suggestive of acute myocardial ischemia and precise ECG criteria. STEMI is due to an acute occlusion or subocclusion of a coronary artery, generating a transmural ischaemia, requiring coronary angiography with urgent coronary revascularization. However, some authors consider the current STEMI ECG criteria to be too restrictive: up to 30 % of patients who do not meet these criteria present with critical coronary artery stenosis or acute coronary occlusion. Atypical electrocardiographic patterns, known as "STEMI equivalents", can be found in some cases and justify a rapid cardiological evaluation. We present a pragmatic review of five STEMI equivalents.