Field Guide to the Arrhythmias (PDF)

...The cardiac unit is a jungle, inhabited by fierce
nurses, killer intensivists, marauding attendings, various
flesh-eating specialists, sick patients, and lots of
arrhythmias. -from the Preface

Can you recognize the call of the normal sinus rhythm? Name the
natural habitat of Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia or Ventricular
Fibrillation? Are you well-versed in the proper care and feeding of
Asystole and Atrial Flutter?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, then
you need this trusty guide to help you identify and respond to
arrhythmias in the veritable wilderness of the busy hospital
ward.



Created by a seasoned physician educator at a major urban medical
center and inspired by the "field guides" used by
birders, botanists and the like to identify flora or fauna in the
wild, this new book offers a unique - and uniquely humorous
-- approach to mastering the ever-vexing challenge of arrhythmia
identification.

Each arrhythmia is covered beginning with a sample ECG strip,
followed by brief text describing its significant characteristics;
where and when it is likely to be encountered (its
"Habitat"); comments, questions and queries likely to
be heard from physicians and other colleagues on the ward (the
"Call"); and finally what steps the reader needs to
take upon identifying the arrhythmia in a patient ("Care and
Feeding").

Dr. Lader's approach brings the sights and sounds of a
modern hospital to life, enabling you to understand arrhythmia
diagnosis and clinical response in context, and his offbeat,
sometimes irreverent humor makes each detail memorable.

Fifty self-assessment questions are included to help you master
arrhythmia essentials and test your knowledge.