Electrocardiograms Made Easy! is a series of three courses
comprised of: Basic EKG Interpretations, Interpreting Abnormal Atrial
Rhythms, and Interpreting Ventricular Dysrhythmias.
The aim of Part I. Basic EKG Interpretations (the first course in the
series) is to advance the learners’ understanding of the electrocardiogram
and develop their skills at reading a basic electrocardiogram rhythm strip.
In a cardiac emergency being able to identify the precipitating event
is half the battle, a battle in which “time is muscle.”
As the song by Cruel Sea states, “the heart is a muscle and it
pumps blood, like a big old black steam train.” If its function
were as simplistic as this, then there would be no need to read on. However
this is not the case and there have been a lot of advances in the way
we think about and assess the functioning of the heart. If you listen
to an orthopedic surgeon, the heart’s main purpose is to pump antibiotics
around the body. Depending on your position in the healthcare environment,
your idea of the heart’s function may be similar. But for nurses,
the heart and its associated problems is one of the most common ailments
afflicting those for whom we care.
Cardiovascular disease is composed of heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents (strokes). Respectively they are the leading and third leading cause of death in the United States. Together they account for the death of more than 1.3 million Americans each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). More broadly, 80 million Americans (almost one third of the population) suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease (CDC, n.d.). With tightening purse strings, the impact of cardiovascular diseases on healthcare resources is astounding. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in 2008 the cost of cardiovascular disease to the economy was over $448 billion (CDC, n.d.). So what does this mean to me?
As active participants in health care you will undoubtedly come in contact
with the one in four Americans who have cardiovascular disease. This contact
may be in any setting: from an emergency department, surgical ward, rehabilitation,
or your own family home. So it is important to be familiar with and understand
the basics of one of the easiest, most cost-effective, non-invasive tests
performed to assess cardiac function: the electrocardiogram (EKG). It
is important to be able to interpret electrocardiograms in order for the
skilled registered nurse to initiate timely interventions.
This course will discuss the basics of the electrocardiogram, introduce
an easy to remember method for rhythm analysis and build confidence in
undertaking and interpreting the basic rhythm strip. There is an emphasis
on not letting the reader be “bogged down” with technical
jargon and instead focus on identifying what is “normal” in
an electrocardiogram rhythm.
Content Outline
- Background
- Electrical Physiology
- Recording Electrical Impulses (The technical stuff)
- The “How To” Perform an EKG
- Understanding Wave Morphology
- The Significance of Wave Recording
- Interpreting a Basic Rhythm Strip
- Summary and Practice Examples
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