Pediatric Arrhythmias and EKGs for the Health Care Provider

by Kathleen J. Prater CCT (Author)

This time-tested publication has successfully trained numerous pediatric nurses from a leading children's hospital. Pediatric advanced practice registered nurses and clinical nurse specialists working in acute or critical care settings, as well as physician assistants and medical residents, need to understand the principles of accurate pediatric EKG interpretation and the appropriate follow-up steps necessary for the best patient care. With a total of 100 EKGs, rhythm strips, and interpretations, this comprehensive but concise text analyzes all levels of arrhythmias to allow pediatric health care providers to interpret normal and abnormal pediatric EKGs and rhythm strips with confidence.

This user-friendly, quick reference outlines the basic rules for pediatric arrhythmias and EKG interpretations using a multitude of different EKGs and rhythm strips and basic but critical figures and tables. With the use of a systematic checklist for standard evaluation, the text walks the reader through the essential signs that health care providers must learn to recognize when examining the EKGs and rhythm strips of their pediatric patients. This book culminates in a robust selection of 50 EKGs and additional rhythm strips for practice and a self-test on the material presented in the preceding chapters. The answers can be compared with the cardiologist's interpretations for reinforcement of understanding and application.


Pediatric Arrhythmias and EKGs for the Health Care Provider teaches readers in a quick, at-a-glance approach:

To obtain an interpretable pediatric tracing
To implement a proper measurement method
To understand both normal and abnormal EKGs
To learn the quickest and most accurate QTc method
To follow an organized format for rhythm analysis
To systematically use tables, diagrams, figures, and graphs for interpretation
To interpret with confidence even very complicated tracings
To know which tracings need a pediatric cardiologist's attention

About the Author
Kathleen Joan Prater, CCT, became a certified cardiac technician through Cardiovascular Credentialing International in 1993 and had a career in cardiac testing that spanned 35 years. She assisted cardiologists with various cardiac researches, and taught nurses and technicians at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, at the Medical Center in Indianapolis, for 15 years. Ms. Prater instructed staff in how to obtain EKGs and rhythm strips on children and how to interpret pediatric arrhythmias. Along with Dr. Joyce Hubbard, she developed a manual to teach these procedures, which is the foundation for this book.