The ECG Hunter Continues His Hunt

On November 13, 2010, the “ECG Hunter,” Neil E. Holtz, provided an all-day set of interactive presentations, entitled “12-Lead ECG — The Art of Interpretation,” at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois. The focus was on the importance of correct interpretation of electrocardiograms. The intended audience was cardiovascular professionals who work in invasive and interventional cardiovascular suites. The objectives of the accredited program were to provide these professionals with an in-depth review of key concepts and to enhance their clinical knowledge, improving their ability to care for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs). Areas of discussion included ECG lead placement, the electrical axis, hyperkalemia, hypertrophies of the cardiac chambers — ECG findings, acute coronary syndrome, the 12-lead ECG, infarctions, and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). The acute coronary syndrome, 12-lead ECG, infarctions, and ACLS presentations were all based on real case studies that were either provided by cardiologists, Mr. Holtz’s peers or studies in which he has been personally involved. His presentations on STEMIs and non-STEMIs interlaced pre-procedural ECG findings, actual cineangiographic images, post-procedural ECGs and final cine-digital images. One of the 12-lead ECG presentations included how to diagnose pulmonary edema from a 12-lead ECG tracing. This conference was organized by the following cardiovascular professionals:

• Maciej Malinski, MD, FACC, Interventional Cardiologist, Sherman Hospital, Elgin, Illinois;
• Zorka Musovic, BS, RCSA, RCIS, Cardiac Cath Lab Educator, Sherman Hospital, Elgin, Illinois; Cath Lab Support Team Member, St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, Illinois;
• Jim Combs, RCSA, RCES, RCIS, EMT-P, Cardiac Cath Lab Support Team Member, Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford, Illinois;
• Nitida Nelson, MBA, Sherman Hospital, Elgin, Illinois.

Over 160 cardiovascular professionals attended the dynamic lectures prepared by Mr. Holtz. Attendees included individuals from several hospitals in Illinois and Indiana, nursing schools, and area fire departments. These allied health professionals, pre-hospital providers, and nursing students not only represented Sherman Hospital and Rockford Memorial Hospital, but represented the following hospitals, fire departments, and academic health programs:

• Advocate Condel Hospital, Libertyville, Illinois
• Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
• Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, Illinois
• Centregra Health Systems, Woodstock, Illinois
• Elgin Fire Department, Elgin, Illinois
• Northern Illinois Medicial Center, McHenry, Illinois
• Northern Illinois University School of Nursing, Dekalb, Illinois
• Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington, Heights, Illinois
• Rush Copley Medical Center, Aurora, Illinois
• Silver Cross, Joliet, Illinois
• St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
• St. Anthony Hospital, Rockford, Illinois
• St. Joseph’s Hospital, Elgin, Illinois
• St. Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Swedish American Hospital (CCL), Rockford, Illinois

The conference assistants, to whom the planners and attendees wish to express their sincere gratitude, are:

• Kathleen Wright, RN, Manager, Cardiac Cath Lab, Sherman Hospital
• Jane Wrede, RN, MSN, Clinical Educator, Sherman Hospital
• Cardiac Cath Lab Support Team, Sherman Hospital
• Julian A. Filipovic, Photographer, Crystal Lake South High School

The planning committee would like to thank our sponsors:

• Sherman Hospital, ShermanHealth
• Alliance for Cardiovascular Professionals
• Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals (ACVP) Cardiovascular and Pulmonary

Continuing Education (CaPCE)

• The Illinois Chapter of the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP)
• W. L. Gore & Associates
• Medtronic, Inc.
• ev3, Inc.
• AccessClosure, Inc.

CaPCE accredited the program for 6.83 contact hours which is fully recognized by Cardiovascular Credentialing International, the California Board of Registered Nurses, and the International Council for Certification of Cardiovascular Specialists and Assistants, Inc. The planning committee has invited Mr. Holtz to return to share more about the 12-Lead ECG — The Art of Interpretation at the First Annual Midwestern Cardiovascular Professionals Conference on March 25-27, 2011, at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois. For more information about the conference, please contact Ms. Zorka Musovic by phone at (224) 783-8730 or by email at zorka.musovic@shermanhospital.org. If any other facility has an interest in inviting the ECG Hunter to continue his quest to present his outstanding, diligent, and dynamic program on “The 12-Lead ECG — The Art of Interpretation,” feel free to contact him by email at emta1497@gmail.com or by phone at (770) 315-7863. In closing, the cardiovascular professionals at Sherman Hospital welcome all of our immediate peers and our intermediate peers to attend our accredited continuing educational events throughout 2011. We would to thank all of our attendees who attended this no-fee registration conference this year and for helping it make a success in our medical community in Illinois. The authors would like to thank Katherine Soper, RN, MSN, for her assistance in editing and proofreading the article. For Further Reading Garcia T, Holtz NE. Introduction to 12 Lead ECG: The Art of Interpretation. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2003. Garcia T, Holtz NE. 12 Lead ECG: The Art of Interpretation. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2001. Hurst JW, Morris DC (Eds). Chest Pain. Armonk, NY: Futura Publishing Company, Inc.; 2001. Kern MJ. The Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Handbook, 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, An Affiliate of Elsevier; 2004. Kern MJ. The Cardiac Catheterization Handbook, 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, An Affiliate of Elsevier; 2004.