Although the surface electrocardiogram (EKG) was invented in 1903, it continues to be today, more than a century later, an essential tool used by clinicians for the detection and diagnosis of numerous cardiac conditions. Because of its high importance in the clinical management of many patients across vast areas of medical and surgical specialties, it is not too surprising that the medical community has invested, over many decades, a lot of time, effort, and resources into training physicians, nurses, and other allied professionals on how to obtain, troubleshoot, and interpret EKGs. Like most tasks in life, learning how to read EKGs requires time and practice, eventually allowing the expert reader to rely more on pattern recognition to spot abnormalities and make a diagnosis rather than on a step-by-step, systematic reading. With of all these considerations in mind, we have compiled over many years, 106 relevant EKGs that cover most topics of interest (arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, electrolyte imbalances, etc.), providing a clinical vignette for each case, a succinct interpretation of the findings, a mechanistic explanation of these findings, and often offering insight into possible treatment options. From the outset and throughout the process of putting together this book, we have kept in mind the needs and desires of our potential readers, who include medical students, residents in internal medicine or anesthesia, general cardiology and electrophysiology fellows, as well as registered nurses, EKG technicians, and other allied professional, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Our ultimate goal with this book is to give current and future health professionals a tool that will provide them with the know-how and confidence to hold an EKG tracing in their hand, troubleshoot it, read it, and move on to delivering high-level care to patients. Academic life in medicine stands on three essential pillars: (1) We strive to improve patient outcomes through sound clinical care; (2) We advance knowledge through innovative research; and (3) We perpetuate knowledge through tireless and consistent teaching and training. This book is our small contribution to this third and most important pillar of academic medicine.
About the Author: Dr. Samir Saba (BE 1989, MD 1993) received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering in 1985 from the American University of Beirut and his Medical degree in 1993 from the same institution. He then finished his training in Internal Medicine (1993-1996), in Cardiolovascular Diseases (1996-1999), and in Cardiac Electrophysiology (1999-2000) all at the Tufts University - New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to joining the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the field of Cardiac Electrophysiology. Starting in 2005, Dr. Saba was appointed chief of the Cardiac Electrophysiology section and director of the cardiac electrophysiology laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine and of Clinical and Translational Science in 2009. He was granted tenure by the University of Pittsburgh in August 2014 and promoted to Associate Chief of Cardiology for clincial affairs in 2015. He is currently a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and of the Heart Rhythm Society.