ECG Diagnosis in Clinical Practice

Over the last century the ECG has been used by clinicians to make major clinical decisions with regard to electric pacing, the use of thrombolytic drugs in acute myocardial infarction and the timing of surgery. In conjunction with a chest X-ray and the echocardiogram it is a fundamental part of the initial investigation of a patient with suspected heart disease. These electrical squiggles have always been difficult for students to understand. In part the problem has been that the formatting of the ECG has only become standard in the last two decades. Some important books have not provided the full twelve-lead ECG. On occasion the interpretation of the ECG has been related to complex explanations of the shapes of the electrical signals. For the practising physician much of the interpretation is a matter of pattern recognition.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) remains an essential tool in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. ECG Diagnosis in Clinical Practice emphasizes the importance of the technique in clinical practice rather than as an abstract analysis of lines on a strip of paper. It includes a large number of ECGs of greater difficulty level, and  chapters in pediatric ECG and electrophysiology ensuring a comprehensive overall understanding of the subject.  ECG Diagnosis in Clinical Practice has been written for those taking Board examinations, but the simplicity of approach and high quality images represent a valuable source of reference material for the more experienced cardiovascular physician.