Mastery of ECG interpretation is achieved not only by pattern recognition, but equally importantly, by a clear, practical understanding of how electricity moves through the heart and how disruption of that movement manifests itself via ECG tracings.

ECGs for Beginners, written by one of the world's most respected electrophysiologists with over 40 years experience of training clinicians, will provide cardiology and electrophysiology trainees with an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to the topic, thus enabling them to both understand and interpret ECG readings in order to to best manage their patients.

Packed with over 250 high-quality ECG tracings, as well as management algorithms and key points throughout, every chapter also contains self-assessment questions, allowing the reader to test themselves on what they've just learnt.

All kinds of arrhythmias will be covered, as well as morphological abnormalities such as atrial and ventricular problems. Importantly, normal ECG readings will be presented alongside abnormal readings, to best demonstrate how and why abnormalities occur.

ECGs for Beginners is an essential purchase for all cardiology and electrophysiology trainees, as well as being a handy refresher guide for the experienced physician.


Preface vii

Forewords to Previous Editions ix

Foreword x

Part I: The Normal Electrocardiogram 1

1 Anatomical and Electrophysiological Bases 3

2 The ECG Curve: What Is It and How Does It Originate? 11

3 Recording Devices and Techniques 33

4 ECG Interpretation 40

Part II: Morphological Abnormalities in the ECG 59

5 Atrial Abnormalities 61

6 Ventricular Enlargements 68

7 Ventricular Blocks 84

8 Ventricular Preexcitation 102

9 Myocardial Ischemia and Necrosis 111

Part III: The ECG in Arrhythmias 161

10 Concepts Classification and Mechanisms of Arrhythmias 163

11 ECG Patterns of Supraventricular Arrhythmias 179

12 ECG Patterns of Ventricular Arrhythmias 193

13 The ECG Patterns of Passive Arrhythmias 208

14 How to Interpret ECG Tracings with Arrhythmia 217

Part IV: ECG in Clinical Practice 221

15 From Symptoms to the ECG: ECGs in the presence of precordial pain or other symptoms 223

16 The ECG in Genetically Induced Heart Diseases and Other ECG Patterns with Poor Prognosis 231

17 ECG Recordings in Other Heart Diseases and Different Situations 246

18 Abnormal ECG Without Apparent Heart Disease and Normal ECG in Serious Heart Disease 258

Bibliography 262

Index 267