ECG Workout: Exercises in Arrhythmia Interpretation

by Jane Huff

Now in its Fifth Edition, this text and workbook is an excellent aid for students, practicing nurses, and allied health professionals learning ECG interpretation. The book presents a step-by-step guide to rhythm strip analysis and contains over 500 actual (not computer-generated) ECG strips to enhance the skills needed for accurate, confident ECG interpretation. Two post-tests and an answer key appear at the back of the book. The latest ACLS guidelines are also included.

378 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2011

Reviews

[Taylor]

Not me adding my textbook to reach my goals ❤️❤️ we love an educated gal

[Thomas Cushman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong. This book has tons of great strip practice and decent basic information if you're learning to interpret ECG/telemetry strips. However, there are also some serious misgivings in this book that I have a significant issue with.

So this book is targeted at beginners with little background in arrhythmia interpretation. Most of the information is good, but when it comes to SVT, atrial tach, and junctional tach, there's some info that's straight up wrong, that could completely throw beginners off down the line.

First off, the term SVT isn't even mentioned in the book. All SVTs are effectively considered by the book to be "paroxysmal atrial tach". This is straight wrong for several reasons. Despite what the book says, (focal) atrial tach (a fast/>150 tachycardia, usually with a p wave though sometimes not, originating from an ectopic atrial focus) is not that common of an arrhythmia compared to other classes of SVT. AVNRT (also not mentioned in the book) is by far the most common, making up 60-80% of SVTs. Figure/Strip 7.19 shows a strip which would be accurately labeled as SVT. However, the book labels it as paroxysmal atrial tach, despite the fact that the rhythm isn't paroxysmal and (I'd be willing to be money) the strip likely is not an atrial tach, but rather some other SVT like AVNRT or AVRT. The book also fails to mention that an EP study would be required to actually classify the rhythm in Figure 7.19, since there are no defining features to distinguish it from other, more common types of SVT like AVNRT/AVRT. This is not good for beginners IMO, as it imparts a completely incorrect foundational understanding of what SVT is. Also, the description of what atrial tach looks like was just not really correct in general.

Second, with regard to junctional tach and atrial tach, it describes all atrial tachs and junctional tachs as paroxysmal. They are not. They can be, but definitely not all are. I don't think the author understands what a paroxysm is.

Third, I think there were some other more minor topics left out that I think should have been included, such as MAT. I think this is a little weird, given there was discussion of WAP but not MAT.

Overall, the book is a pretty good resource for beginners. But given these IMO significant misgivings, I couldn't give the book 3 or more stars. 2.5 stars, rounded down to 2 because of what all is missing.

[Trevor Angst · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was listed as a mandatory reading for my advanced certificate. I’ve been referencing back to this book for 4 years. I’ve made a lot of notes in my copy. It’s been extremely helpful. I’ve cracked the spine once again as I’m refreshing myself for my transfer between departments. With that being said, this book omits greater detail of arrhythmias. It’s a good book to learn the essential basics of electrophysiology.

[Kalynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to follow explanations and I love all the practice strips. I could not have asked for a better way to prepare for my job as a PACU RN. This book is a must for any critical care nurse. Buy yourself a pair of calipers to help with the interval measurements!