1 What are the major indications for ambulatory electrocardiography monitoring? Ambulatory electrocardiography (AECG) monitoring allows the noninvasive evaluation of a suspected arrhythmia during normal daily activities. It aids in the diagnosis, documentation of frequency, severity, length of episodes, and correlation…
1 What is the purpose of exercise stress testing, and how can a patient exercise during stress testing? Exercise stress testing (EST) using electrocardiography (ECG) is routinely performed to diagnose myocardial ischemia, estimate prognosis, evaluate the outcome of therapy, and…
1 Describe a systematic approach to interpreting a chest radiograph (chest x-ray). Common recommendations are to: 1. Begin with general characteristics such as the age, gender, size, and position of the patient. 2. Next examine the periphery of the film,…
1 What are the most commonly used voltage criteria to diagnose left ventricular hypertrophy? Numerous criteria have been established for the electrocardiographic (ECG) diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Below are the three that are used most frequently: R wave…
1 What are the auscultatory areas of murmurs? Auscultation typically starts in the aortic area, continuing in clockwise fashion: first over the pulmonic, then the mitral (or apical), and finally the tricuspid areas ( Fig. 2.1 ). Because murmurs may…
Editor’s Note to Readers: For an excellent and more detailed discussion of the cardiovascular physical examination, read Physical Diagnosis Secrets, 2nd edition, by Salvatore Mangione. 1 What is the meaning of a slow rate of rise of the carotid arterial…