Before we start looking at some actual patient strips and learning about each of the arrhythmias in depth, let’s take a look at some concepts that will come up over and over again. We will address these issues using common terms and simplifying the evaluation of the strips as much as possible.
Many books address these topics as they arise in a particular rhythm strip. This book covers topics that are seen daily in rhythm strip analysis and then begins to cover the rarer topics. While some commonly seen rhythms may not be simple to understand, it is necessary to be able to recognize them.
The topics in this chapter include artifact, prematurity, the various types of pauses, ectopic foci, reentry, and aberrancy. Please be aware that this chapter merely introduces the material. These topics will be covered in much greater detail in the clinical sections of this book.