The ECG Made Easy

Product Information

You might also be interested in our OSCE Flashcard Collection which contains over 3000 flashcards that cover clinical examination, procedures, communication skills and data interpretation.

How to Read an ECG | ECG Interpretation | EKG | Geeky Medics How to Read an ECG | ECG Interpretation | EKG | Geeky Medics

The paper used to record ECGs is standardised across most hospitals and has the following characteristics:If a patient’s heart rhythm is irregular, the first heart rate calculation method doesn’t work (as the R-R interval differs significantly throughout the ECG). As a result, you need to apply a different method:

ECG Made Easier • LITFL • ECG library - Life in the Fast Lane ECG Made Easier • LITFL • ECG library - Life in the Fast Lane

Provides a full understanding of the ECG in the diagnosis and management of abnormal cardiac rhythms.The T waves are also raised (in contrast to a STEMI, where the T wave remains the same size and the ST segment is raised).

The ECG Made Easy - 9780702074578 - US Elsevier Health The ECG Made Easy - 9780702074578 - US Elsevier Health

ST-elevation is significant when it is greater than 1 mm (1 small square) in 2 or more contiguous limb leads or >2mm in 2 or more chest leads. It’s important to understand which leads represent which anatomical territory of the heart, as this allows you to localise pathology to a particular heart region. Each lead’s ECG recording is slightly different in shape. This is because each lead is recording the heart’s electrical activity from a different direction (a.k.a viewpoint). RAD is commonly associated with conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, as they cause right ventricular hypertrophy. RAD can, however, be a normal finding in very tall individuals. Right Axis Deviation Left axis deviation Simply, the P wave originates from somewhere closer to the AV node, so the conduction takes less time (the SA node is not in a fixed place, and some people’s atria are smaller than others).

As the user steps through each of the interpretation stages, there are options to define and reveal more information, or to open a new tab for more in depth review. A single Q wave is not a cause for concern – look for Q waves in an entire territory (e.g. anterior/inferior) for evidence of previous myocardial infarction. An example of a pathological Q wave R and S waves

The ECG Made Easy - 9780702074578 | Elsevier Health The ECG Made Easy - 9780702074578 | Elsevier Health

Typical ECG findings include the presence of P waves and QRS complexes that have no association with each other, due to the atria and ventricles functioning independently. It represents the time taken for the ventricles to depolarise and then repolarise. The components of an ECGObserve the distribution of the T wave inversion (e.g. anterior/lateral/posterior leads). You must take this ECG finding and apply it in the clinical context of your patient. Inverted T wave Biphasic T waves You may also be interested in our ECG interpretation OSCE stations available as part of our collection of 800+ ready-made OSCE stations. The ECG abnormalities do not change! During a STEMI, the changes will evolve – in benign early repolarisation, they will remain the same. how many times have you revised ‘ how to interpret an ECG‘? For me, it’s at least annually for the last 20 years, and still, I forget! Amjid Rehman