If you have any questions about the EP Lab, Let us know. | Source 1: Cardiac Electrophysiology – From Cell to Bedside 3rd Edition; Douglas P. Zipes, MD and Jose Jalife, MD ISBN # 0-7216-7811-4 Cell to Bedside has long been one of the definitve resources for those who work in the electrophysiology labratory. This book is not for beginners as it presents a depth of knowledge that is often difficult to grasp without extensive experience. If you have been working in EP and are seeking to expand your knowledge beyond the basics, the this book is a must. |
| Source 2: Cardiac Pacing - Edited by Kenneth A. Ellenbogen; ISBN 0-86542-184-6 This book comes is one of the early pacing texts. I found information in here regarding unipolar and bipolar sensing that was worth adding to this section. This topic will be expounded in the section on intracardiac electrograms. |
| Source 3: Clinical Electrocardiography, a Simplified Approach - 7th Edition / Ary L. Goldberger ISBN This is a good resource for those who are new to interpretting the surface electrocardiograms. This was one of the few books where I found information on the specific electrode hookups for unipolar and bipolar. |
| Order these books at Cardiotext.com If you are looking to add any of these texts to your library, click on the link above to visit the Cardiotext website. Select the section on Electrophysiology to see some of the latest titles available. |
Basic tools of the trade...
Cardiac electrophysiology is a complex field to work in. It takes time and practice to develop the skills necessary to become truly proficient in EP. As with all work environments, there are basic fundamental skills that will contribute greatly to the success of each person working in the lab. The achievements of each staff person will also contribute to the overall success of the entire EP program. This section provides an overview of the fundamental knowledge that will get the reader started on the road to success.
1) Electrograms - Electrograms are the "Keys to the Kingdom" when it comes to electrophysiology. For both surface and intracardiac electrograms, both unipolar and bipolar electrograms play a key part in every procedure we do in EP. If you master reading electorgrams, there is little you will not be able to accomplish. This section is designed to introduce the basics of electrocaridograms to the reader.
2) The Surface ECG - When you look back at the history of cardiac electrophysiology, the first tools designed for use in this field were those that allowed scientists to visualize information about the cardiac electrogram. This was done using contacts with the surface of the patient's skin. From the original three bipolar leads to the combined unipolar and bipolar leads that make up the surface 12 lead we use today, the surface electrocardiogram is the most widely documented tool utilized in the lab today. If you do not understand the 12 lead ECG, you are handicapped in the lab. While this is an extensive topic, I have tried to collect a few small pieces of information that will allow the novice to enter into the world of 12 lead ECG interpretation as it is used specifically for arrhythmia analysis.
3) Intracardiac EGM's - Around 1970, electrograms made the transition from surface to intracardiac. Now, information about what was happening at local regions within the heart could be documented. For those cases where the surface ECG did not provide sufficient information, it was the intracardiac electrograms that become the physician's go to tool.
4) Arrhythmia Mechanisms builds upon the information that is presented in the previous sections. This section goes behind the scenes and looks at what causes abnormal rhythms. This is where you go from being good in the EP lab to being a true EP geek!!
5) Arrhythmia Analysis is the key to almost every EP procedure. The reason we are there is to determine the nature and origin of abnormal rhythms. This section discusses the methodology behind determining what is going on inside someone's heart.
