ACLS Quick Review Study Cards, ECGs Made Easy Study Cards

As I was writing this review, I was advised that James Keck, a co-worker of mine, had died of cancer. I’d like to dedicate this column to Jim, an excellent paramedic and a beautiful human being.

This month, I review two books by Barbara Aehlert, RN. Neither of these texts presents new material, but both offer it in a new way not often seen in medical texts. Each is composed solely of cards, made to be removed and used as quick-study devices. You could even carry them with you if you wanted to brush up on a particular subject.

On a side note, as a product of a parochial school education, I had to overcome my horror at intentionally tearing pages out of a book. During much of the review period, I expected a ruler to come crashing across my knuckles for this desecration. In spite of this, both books were worth the angst.

As I’ve stated before, this author provides an ACLS text that exceeds the required textbook in readability, ease of understanding and value for the dollar. In my 20+ years of teaching ACLS, I have recommended her texts as supplements to the required manuals, and have found that students emerge well-versed in ACLS and PALS using them. The ACLS Quick Review Study Cards fit well into the package.

These study cards follow the standard ACLS format, starting with the ABCDs of emergency cardiovascular care and continuing through airway management, vascular access and dysrhythmia recognition, etc. However, the cards within each section are presented in random order, prohibiting them from standing in as a primary text.

The Dysrhythmia section is particularly helpful, with clear, easy-to- differentiate strips presented in a standardized format. The readability of the strips is particularly good, considering each card is only 4" x 2¾".

There is also a wealth of information in the Myocardial Infarction section, with a variety of scenarios covering most of the information presented in standard texts. Each card is self-contained and provides the answer on the back to check yourself. Again, the ECG strips in this section are legible and easy to read.

The sections on Pharmacology and Putting It All Together comprise almost half the cards, with a comprehensive review of drugs, drug routes, side effects and contraindications. All drugs included in the ACLS certification test appear to be referenced here. The section Putting It All Together addresses scenarios, as well as the information covered on the written test in a manner that should ensure success if properly utilized.

This is an excellent resource and comes highly recommended for both the beginning ACLS student and those nerve-racking biannual recertifications. Anything that can mitigate stress is a good thing and this item does that better than most. However, don’t let me catch you reviewing these cards in my class during the megacode—that would be waiting too long.

One final note, when all these cards are separated and stacked, the resulting “book” is approximately 6" thick. One large ring or several small rings from your local hardware will keep it together.

In my first years as a paramedic, I was fortunate to have a CCU nurse as a wife. She would bring home ECGs that she found interesting and we would review them together. In addition, I was always on the lookout for unique rhythms on patients that I treated or saw in the hospital. But those ECGs were printed primarily on thermographic paper and prone to wear and tear; plus, different machines used their own particular paper with different characteristics, creating a lack of uniformity. In one fell swoop, ECGs Made Easy Study Cards duplicated and exceeded my efforts.

This study guide is essentially one large series of ECGs with—and without—scenarios. The cards start out with a brief review of cardiac anatomy, physiology and electrophysiology, and then roll right into rhythm interpretation. Although most of the ECGs come one to a page, there are occasional strips that show the rhythm in other leads on the same page for clarification. The level of difficulty ranges from the basic readout to exceptionally complex rhythms. The scenarios are concise, and no treatment is indicated or requested on the card. The goal is simply to identify the rhythm, its rate and regularity, and to measure the pertinent areas of importance on the ECG—PR interval, QRS width, and so on.

The final section of the cards is a relatively brief but comprehensive section of 12-lead ECG interpretation. Because of the small size of the cards, this section can be difficult to accurately assess and a magnifying glass might be helpful.

An excellent supplement to Aehlert’s original or any other standard ECG text: If practice makes perfect, you can certainly get all that by using these materials.