Clinical ECG Interpretation

Many medical students in their clinical years have a good level of competency in interpreting the primary ECG parameters, but their ability to recognize ECG signs of emergencies and common heart abnormalities is usually low. ECG interpretation skills are determined not only by attendance at regular ECG classes but by self-education as well. Electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation is an essential skill for emergency medicine (EM) physicians. Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity through repeated cardiac cycles. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the heart using electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes detect the small electrical changes that are a consequence of cardiac muscle depolarization followed by repolarization…