Recommendations for the Standardization and Interpretation of the Electrocardiogram

“It is amazing how little attention has been paid to the electrocardiogram as a chief physiological tool that is cheap, readily accessible and provides pivotal information about our patients. I think our electrocardiogram teaching, aimed at the electrophysiology and cardiovascular disease fellows, should be extended to the general medical residents. I see too many inappropriate cardiac interventions being done because physicians reading and interpreting the electrocardiograms have little understanding about the culprit versus the non-culprit lesion, and many physicians manage arrhythmias inappropriately because of an incorrect diagnosis.”