ECG book recommendations
I often get questions about what ecg books to buy, so I thought I´d post my personal recommendations right here in the blog. There are thousands of ECG books out there, and I´ve bought many of them. Some of them were total disasters, while others are just excellent references that I constantly keep coming back to. Here are my personal favorites so far, with Amazon links attached.
For beginners
This is one of the really classic books on ECG, by John R. Hampton. Invaluable for beginners, but also great as a quick reference guide. Unfortunately they just increased the format for this one, and it isn´t longer pocket size. Still, a great book for learning ECGs.
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All three of these books by Hampton are both classic and truly great sources for increasing your ECG interpretation skills. This one is the next step up from ECG Made Easy, and is more clinically oriented rather than working on basic skills.
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150 ECG problems presents a wide range of ECG diagnoses with the ECG and the patient data on one page and the correct interpretation on the other. Great for practicing and sharpening your skills.
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ECG Interpretation Made Incredibly Easy
It sounds silly from the title, but is really a quite thorough and in-depth book on rhythm interpretation. As Amazon.com puts it: This practical reference uses a unique, light-hearted writing style that makes learning this complex information non-threatening and highly enjoyable. This entertaining reference reviews fundamental cardiac anatomy and physiology, explains how to obtain and interpret a rhythm strip, and teaches the reader how to recognize and treat sinus, atrial, and ventricular arrhythmias as well as heart blocks.
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Rapid Interpretations of EKG´s
This is also one of the true ECG book classics. The writer, Dr. Dale Dubin, takes you all the way from sinus rhythm to the crazy, tricky stuff. Great for beginners and learners, but also a ecg reference book. This book is known for it´s simplified and didactic approach to understanding ECG interpretation. It also takes you on a brief and entertaining tour into ECG history. Amazon.com says: A caption explains the concept illustrated on each page, and a few simple sentences reinforce the concept with interactive (programmed) learning, which links to the following page. Dr. Dubin’s light and entertaining style, known world-wide, makes learning enjoyable.
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Intermediate and beyond..
The ECG In Emeregency Decision Making
Amazon.com: Offering step-by-step instructions, this text describes how to use 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) to make rapid and informed decisions in emergencies. It shows how to recognize the underlying mechanism of a cardiac emergency, its significance, and the best treatment. A brief outline of these steps is followed by complete, in-depth coverage.
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Rhythm Quizlets – Self Assessment
Just the fact that this book is written by the EKG master himself, Henry J. L. Marriott should be reason enough to buy it. This book is what the title implies, rhythm quizlets. An excellent book for practicing and sharpening your skills. Tons of ECGs to practice on. I must admit though, there are some seriously complicated and intricate ECGs in book. Even the those in the “easy” section are sometimes very tricky. But that only means that this is a book that will give you many, many years of entertainment and practice! Amazon.com describes it like this: Second edition of a clinical review in workbook format on recognizing arrhythmias on the electrocardiogram. Previous edition 1987. Divided into three levels of difficulty. Tracings printed on the left page, with diagnosis and interpretation on the right. This book is definately beyond basic skill level, but is highly recommended for those who wants a great collection of practice ECGs.
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150 Practice ECGs – Interpretation and Review
This is another truly great book for practicing ECG interpretation. 150 ECGs covering a broad aspect of different cardiac disorders, printed in very good quality and with the answers printed on the last pages of the book. This book also has a great introduction on basic ECG interpretation. Highly recommended.
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Cardiac Nursing – Fifth Edition
An extremely comprehensive guide to cardiac nursing. Very detailed and thorough, yet well written and easy to understand. Its thousand pages are packed with information, and both illustrations and text are of high scientific quality. This book has everything you need to know about the heart without being a cardiologist.
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Chou’s Electrocardiography in Clinical Practice
This book quickly became my main reference book for all things related to electrocardiography. It is among cardiologists and all other professions dealing with ECG, considered one of the main and most reliable sources for clinical use of the ECG. It is extremely thourough, yet very consise and well organized. After owning this book for a week, all my other twenty or so books were almost forgotten for a while. Read what Amazon says and be convinced: “Widely considered the optimal electrocardiography reference for practicing physicians, and consistently rated as the best choice on the subject for board preparation, this is an ideal source for mastering the fundamental principles and clinical applications of ECG. The 6th edition captures all of the latest knowledge in the field, including expanded and updated discussions of pediatric rhythm problems, pacemakers, stress testing, implantable cardiodefibrillator devices, and much more. It’s the perfect book to turn to for clear and clinically relevant guidance on all of today’s ECG applications.”
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Arrhythmia Recognition: The Art Of Interpretation
This book is highly recommended. Easy to understand, thorough, full of great illustrations, large book format allowing 1:1 strips, excellent quiz part. Really good book on arrhythmia interpretation. Amazon.com says: “Arrhythmia Recognition: The Art of Interpretation is a graphics intensive training manual on arrhythmia recognition. The text uses hundreds of four-color graphics to easily communicate the complex topics related to arrhythmia recognition. This book focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of complex arrhythmias and on their clinical recognition.”
Electrocardiography of Clinical Arrhythmias (Fisch/Knoebel)
A truly great EKG atlas and collection of strips. Lots of EKGs, ranging from common arrhythmias to the complex and advanced ones. Only minimal amounts of text.
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Marriott’s Practical Electrocardiography
For the intermediate EKG interpreter, but still a very thorough and didactic book on both basic and advanced interpretation. One of the true classics. Amazon.com says: “For over 50 years, this has been a must have book for medical students, residents, and fellows in training. After a thorough introduction to the normal ECG, each chapter focuses on various etiologies of ECG derangements. Chapters are well equipped with easy to understand graphics and illustration, numerous ECG tracings to support the text, and a comprehensive glossary of terms. Each chapter succeeds in being a standalone lesson for quick review…This book is beneficial for those interested in attaining ECG interpretation skills.”
Advanced Concepts In Arrhythmias
Another book from Marriott, and his name alone implies quality. About this book, Amazon.com says: “Advanced Concepts in Arrhythmias covers all of the important and up-to-date advances in electrocardiography–reflecting all of the state-of-the-art findings that have occurred over the last few years. It is unique because it bridges the gap between basic ECG texts and the comprehensive texts that provide an overwhelming amount of information on cardiac electrophysiology. Readers will find new chapters covering the latest innovations in atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.”