Making Sense of the ECG: A Hands-on Guide PDF

Preface to the third edition

The first question that occurs to any authors contemplating a new edition of a textbook is ‘What's new?' Since our second edition, published in 2003, there have been a lot of developments. First and foremost, the Resuscitation Council (UK) has completely revised its guidelines and this had necessitated a complete re-write of the chapter on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. There have been significant developments in the field of arrhythmias, and we have added new material on conditions such as Brugada syndrome and the long QT syndrome, together with the latest National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on atrial fibrillation and updated material on interventions such as pulmonary vein isolation.

The diagnosis and management of acute coronary syndromes also continues to evolve, and the sections on ischaemic heart disease have been updated accordingly.

We have also taken the opportunity to review and upgrade the entire text, improving the clarity of the information wherever possible and also adding new material on, for example, the history of the ECG. Last, but by no means least, we have replaced many of the ECGs with clearer and better examples.

Once again, we are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to comment on the text and to provide us with ECGs from their collections. Finally, we would like to thank all the staff at Hodder Arnold who have contributed to the success of Making Sense of the ECG: A hands-on guide.