Ekg

4-lead ECG's, no. But once you get to 12-leads, they range from confusing to "I want to punch myself in the face".

It's really all about practice, once you see enough of them and get your system for reading down, then they aren't too bad.


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Scott33 said:
No.
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What he said.

However, I know a ton of medics that just can't seem to figure it out. You put an AV block in front of them and listen to the random crap that flies out of their mouth. It's all relative. What's cake for some people is incomprehensible for others.
 
Repetition repetition repetition. And a systematic approach.

Easy as pie
 
It's just going to look like squigly lines until you tackle ekgs in class. Don't worry, it'll come together in time.

Something to keep in mind, there are an endless number of possible rhythm variations, but your treatments are usually going to be pretty cut and dry. I'm over simplifying things but its either going to be normal, too fast, too slow, or chaotic. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to become a cardiologist, focus on the lethal rhythms and their treatment.
 
3/4 lead was much more difficult to me than 12 leads, but no not hard
 
Reading them? No.

Interpreting them? Usually not.

Understanding what the hell is going on ("What is that doing there?!") Sometimes.




I've had EKGs that have stumped cardiologist. Like all things medicine, you just can't put a final answer on it, because as soon as you say you've seen everything, something will pop up and slap you.
 
tssemt2010 said:
3/4 lead was much more difficult to me than 12 leads, but no not hard
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Does your interpretation of 12 leads include anything more than STEMIs?? I learned 3 leads in a day or so, but I'm still learning new things on 12 leads!
 
PoeticInjustice said:
Does your interpretation of 12 leads include anything more than STEMIs?? I learned 3 leads in a day or so, but I'm still learning new things on 12 leads!
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Yea I was thinking the same thing...
 
NVRob said:
Yea I was thinking the same thing...
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I hope he does axis deviation along with hemiblocks at minimum. 12 leads can tell you much more than just stemi. They are easy.
 
medic417 said:
I hope he does axis deviation along with hemiblocks at minimum. 12 leads can tell you much more than just stemi. They are easy.
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I still haven't grasped hemiblocks and have basic knowledge of axis deviation, I'm workin on it though.
 
NVRob said:
I still haven't grasped hemiblocks and have basic knowledge of axis deviation, I'm workin on it though.
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It's not hard really. One day it just clicks and you will feel like an idiot for over complicateing it. Hang in there.

Now the hard job is getting proof the girls here are actually girls.
 
medic417 said:
It's not hard really. One day it just clicks and you will feel like an idiot for over complicateing it. Hang in there.

Now the hard job is getting proof the girls here are actually girls.
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This guy! :rofl:
 
fast65 said:
4-lead ECG's, no. But once you get to 12-leads, they range from confusing to "I want to punch myself in the face".

It's really all about practice, once you see enough of them and get your system for reading down, then they aren't too bad.
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+1

I'm still not 100% on 12-leads but when I do manage to figure them out they are very informative. :wacko: I'm sure my instructor wants to beat me with the ECG textbook by now.
 
Even if you Get all of the blocks down (bundle branch, hemi, fascicular, AV), adding them all together and trying to discern if what you see is acute or chronic is what will take practice. Even the cardiologists take time to get that kind of experience. Because they do skew acute changes rather easily.

Remember, two or more blocks of any kind, get a proximal line before giving NTG.

Oh, and yeah, practice practice practice.
 
That Dubin book is passe. Get a book that has hundreds of practice strips, like Mattu's, and run through ten or 20 examples at a time. Get the feel for the segments, the waves, absorb what is the base, and what is the foreground. It's just beautiful, all that data strung out in the usual patterns, but always with the the little twist, or spark of character of the patient.

Hell, say you know the med list and the 12-lead - what more do you need to know about the patient?
 
PoeticInjustice said:
Does your interpretation of 12 leads include anything more than STEMIs?? I learned 3 leads in a day or so, but I'm still learning new things on 12 leads!
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stemis and blocks, yes i am still learning things about 12 leads as well, but to get the basics of 12 lead down took me a day or so but 3 leads took be about a week to fully distinguish between all the blocks and what not
 
I've been on doing 12 hour shifts as a Telemetry Tech... repetiton is the name of the game.

Once you figure out how the heart works and what the squigilly line corresponds to, its a piece of cake.
 
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