Essential EKG (ECG) Information
For Physicians

For physicians, a practical understanding of the routine twelve-lead EKG and the display on cardiac monitors provides an invaluable, diagnostic skill.

During the last century, medicine has come to recognize the enormous value of the standard twelve-lead EKG. Few tests have provided the range of diagnostic utility and accuracy in determining the patient’s medical progress.

Now every physician is expected to possess a reasonable level of expertise and skill in electrocardiography. National and state medical board exams test for competence in electrocardiography, as do most specialty boards; this is essential medical knowledge for all physicians.

In emergencies, the EKG is our mainstay for evaluating minute-to-minute changes in vital cardiac function during life-and-death crises. One cannot predict where and when spontaneous emergencies will arise. Regardless of the medical or social circumstances at hand, physicians are expected to exercise their special knowledge in these critical situations when a person’s life is in jeopardy.

Cardiac monitors displaying the heart’s electrical messages are standard equipment in critical care and emergency areas. But cardiac monitors are also utilized throughout hospitals. You are expected to understand and interpret this information at any instant. Your essential knowledge will serve your patients and the medical community well. Don’t be intimidated… understanding is easy!

Physicians can effortlessly gain a crystal-clear understanding the heart’s electrical messages with one simplified book, Rapid Interpretation of EKG’s, the most popular and most referenced EKG (ECG) text in the world. The new, updated 6th edition in full color is now available.

This classic text, the international best-seller for over thirty-five (35!) years, is now updated with every printing (updated May, 2007), making it the most current text available. It stresses understanding rather than memorizing, so it instills in you a lifetime of practical knowledge… and the confidence you need for optimal, professional patient care.

This website presents general information to physicians about electrocardiography, as both paper tracings and cardiac monitor displays. The presentations on “Memory Images“ and “Interactive Learning“ provide entertaining information that empowers you with very useful, easily learned, medical knowledge. See how fast you learn! Take pride in your new knowledge; put it to use immediately. And it is quite easy to acquire and comprehend, as you will soon see.

The section, “Life Preserver“, demonstrates some EKG signs that may be present in apparently normal persons, yet the presence of these simple signs forebodes dangerous medical problems or even sudden death. By merely being attentive and observing these signs, you can then refer one of these patients for proper preventative treatment to become a “Life Preserver.” By observation alone, you can save a meaningful life.

The presentation, “Monitor Warnings“, uses the most advanced web site technology to portray accurate, animated reproductions of cardiac monitor warning signs in real-time, just like the cardiac monitor displays that you see in person. Brief, practical interpretations are provided and carefully explained. Your computer screen should accurately display these cardiac monitor warning signs. All physicians need to know these signs in order to deliver responsible, lifesaving care.

For physicians already experienced with electrocardiography and cardiac monitors, we present “Tricky Tracings“. And for physicians and physicians in training who want to learn more about identifying these common imposters once the correct answers are posted, we will provide reference page numbers for in-depth understanding (to avoid future pitfalls).

We also provide (free!) a simplified, step-by-step reference for interpretation of 12-lead EKG’s, the classic Personal Quick Reference Sheets (“Reference Sheets“), previously available only by purchasing the book. This reference describes the standard methodology for interpreting EKG’s. It also contains snips of example tracings… with brief explanations of each. This valuable quick review is yours to print out or quickly download as a PDF file. It’s your free gift to keep for daily reference or for your personal library.

This site is both entertaining and vitally practical for professional patient care. The download speed depends on your computer. If you’ve read the information so far, everything should be ready. But if your computer requires more time, please be patient, for in the next few minutes you can easily acquire a wealth of useful information. Get a cup of coffee, relax, and enjoy the show as you absorb some practical knowledge.

The EKG (ECG), developed in 1901, persists as medicine’s most important diagnostic tool, and it is surprisingly easy to understand and master.