Robert C. Reiser & William J. Brady 
The ECG in Prehospital Emergency Care 

Now that state of the art equipment can be carried in ambulances,
prehospital emergency staff are able to perform an
ECG soon after arrival on scene, enabling the
EMS provider to gather important diagnostic information that can
not only guide prehospital therapy but also direct hospital-based
treatment.

This book exclusively addresses ECGs for prehospital
emergencies, ranging from basic rhythm diagnosis to critical care
applications of the electrocardiogram and advanced 12-lead ECG
interpretation in the ACS patient. It provides self testing
traces covering all these conditions seen in prehospital and
hospital- based environments. It includes 200 randomly presented
cases mirroring real life situations, with the answers set out
separately together with additional invaluable information.

Written by highly experienced emergency physicians with EMS
qualifications and experience, this text is an ideal learning
tool for trainees and fully qualified staff alike, including ground
EMS advanced life support providers, aeromedical staff, and
inter-facility critical care transport personnel.

Table of Content

List of Contributors

Foreword

Preface

Section 1:

1 Clinical Applications of the ECG

Robert C. Schutt, William J. Brady, and Steven H. Mitchell

2 Clinical Impact of the ECG

Robert C. Schutt, William J. Brady, and Steven H. Mitchell

3 ECG Interpretation of the Electrocardiogram – Single-, Multi-, and 12-lead Analysis Robert C. Reiser, Robert C. Schutt, and William J. Brady

4 Variants of the Normal, Lead Misplacement, and Electrocardiographic Artifact Encountered in Clinical Practice

Robert C. Reiser, Robert C. Schutt, and William J. Brady

Section 2:

5 Cardiac Rhythms with Normal Rates

Korin B. Hudson and William J. Brady

6 Narrow QRS Complex Tachycardia

Courtney B. Saunders and Jeffrey D. Ferguson

7 Wide QRS Complex Tachycardia

Michael Levy and Francis X. Nolan Jr

8 Bradycardia

Korin B. Hudson and J. Aidan Boswick

9 Atrioventricular Conduction Block

Steven H. Mitchell, Korin B. Hudson, and William J. Brady

10 Intra-ventricular Conduction Block: Bundle Branch Block and Other Conduction Abnormalities

Steven H. Mitchell, Richard B. Utarnachitt and William J. Brady

11 Atrial and Ventricular Ectopic Beats

Jeffrey D. Ferguson, Michael Levy, and J. Aidan Boswick

Section 3:

12 Ishemic Heart Disease: Anatomic and Physiologic Considerations

Peter Pollak, Peter Monteleone, Kelly Williamson, David Carlberg and William J. Brady

13 Historical Development of the Prehospital ECG

Erik Iszkula and David Carlberg

14 ECG Findings in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Peter Monteleone, Peter Pollak, David Carlberg and William J. Brady

Section 4:

15 The ECG in the Pediatric Patient

Robert Rutherford, Robin Naples, and William J. Brady

16 The ECG in the Poisoned Patient

Steven H. Mitchell, Christopher P. Holstege, and William J. Brady

17 The ECG in Hyperkalemia

Steven H. Mitchell and William J. Brady

18 Life-Threatening ECG Patterns

Steven H. Mitchell, Richard B. Utarnachitt, and William J. Brady

19 The ECG in Patients with Implanted Devices

Amita Sudhir and William J. Brady

20 Electrocardiographic Tools in Prehospital Care

Robin Naples, Alvin Wang, and William J. Brady

21 Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

William J. Brady

22 Cardiac Arrest Rhythms

Amita Sudhir and William J. Brady

Section 5:

23 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of Narrow Complex Tachycardia

Megan Koontz and William J. Brady

24 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of Wide Complex Tachycardia

Amita Sudhir and William J. Brady

25 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of Bradyarrhythmia

Megan Koontz

26 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of ST Segment Elevation

Megan Koontz

27 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of ST Segment Depression

Amita Sudhir

28 Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis of T Wave Abnormalities: The Prominent T Wave and T Wave Inversions

Amita Sudhir and William J. Brady

Index

About the author

William Brady, MD

Professor of Emergency Medicine,

University of Virginia

Charlottesvile, VA

USA

Korin Hudson, MD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine,

Washington Hospital Center

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

USA

Sabina Braithwaite, MD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine,

University of Virginia

Charlottesvile, VA

USA

Jeffrey Ferguson, MD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine,

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

USA

Steven Mitchell, MD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine,

University of Washington

Seattle, WA

USA