Preface

It's 3 a.m. and you're standing at the bedside of a 64-year-old man with chest discomfort. He's short of breath, covered in perspiration, and frightened. His blood pressure is 90/60 mm Hg and his heart rate is 130 beats per minute.

You have just been handed his electrocardiogram.

At this moment, it doesn't really matter whether you are a paramedic, nurse, medical student, internist, or cardiologist. You have a problem to solve and you have in your hand one of the best diagnostic tools in medicine … and you better know how to use it.

That's why you need this book. Because when you finish reading it, you will be well on your way to becoming a master electrocardiographer. And this will be a skill you are going to use for the rest of your professional life.

There are many books devoted to the study of electrocardiography. Some are quick reads and provide you only with the basics. Others are best left on the shelf as a reference. You are going to find that this book is unique. Think of it as a master class in a book, one that's going to make learning electrocardiography easy and enjoyable. Each chapter will quickly help you master fundamental concepts as you progress to more advanced clinical skills. You will learn why these funny little "squiggles" look the way they do, and not just memorize patterns. After reading these pages, you will master the techniques necessary to determine whether your patient is having an acute myocardial infarction or if the findings are a normal variant. You will learn how to recognize cardiac chamber enlargement and electrical conduction abnormalities. Complex cardiac arrhythmias and pacemaker electrocardiography will no longer be a mystery.

When you are handed the electrocardiogram of that critically ill patient in the middle of the night … you are going to be prepared.

Most of all, you will learn how satisfying and enjoyable interpreting electrocardiograms can be. Like me, I hope that you will find that a career in medicine is a wonderful privilege, and interpreting electrocardiograms will always be an important part of that experience. I believe that one of the best things about a life in medicine is that you never really leave school. You are forever either a student or a teacher. I hope this book will help you to remain both.