Abbreviations viii

1 Anatomy physiology and epidemiology of arrhythmias 1

2 ECGs and other recording devices 5

3 Other diagnostic techniques 9

4 The normal ECG and variants 12

5 Interpretation of the ECG in tachycardia 16

6 Adenosine in the diagnosis of tachycardias 26

7 Atrial tachycardia 30

8 Multifocal atrial tachycardia 36

9 Atrial flutter 40

10 Atrial fibrillation 43

11 Atrial premature beats 46

12 Atrioventricular re-entry tachycardia 49

13 Wolff Parkinson White syndrome 55

14 Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia 61

15 Atriofascicular re-entry tachycardia 64

16 Atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia 67

17 Junctional ectopic tachycardia 71

18 Ventricular tachycardia 74

19 Neonatal ventricular tachycardia 81

20 Incessant idiopathic infant ventricular tachycardia 84

21 Idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia 87

22 Idiopathic right ventricular tachycardia 90

23 Ventricular premature beats 93

24 Ventricular fibrillation 96

25 Long QT syndrome 99

26 Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia 108

27 Brugada syndrome 111

28 First- and second-degree atrioventricular block 114

29 Complete atrioventricular block 118

30 Sinus node dysfunction and sinoatrial disease 124

31 Early postoperative arrhythmias 127

32 Late postoperative arrhythmias 136

33 Arrhythmias in congenital heart defects 147

34 Arrhythmias in cardiomyopathies 151

35 Syncope 155

36 Sudden death 160

37 Antiarrhythmic drug treatment 163

38 Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators 170

39 Catheter ablation 177

40 Artifacts 180

Appendix 183

Index 185