To show the utility of ambulatory ECG monitoring, Dr Chung of Jefferson Medical College has chosen representative ECG records of 100 selected patients and presents these records together with brief summaries of individual clinical case material. Both as a means of demonstrating the indications for monitoring and as a learning exercise for the reader, Professor Chung asks critical questions of the reader to bring out the notable diagnostic and therapeutic implications of the record.
From this material it becomes evident that monitoring the patient's ECG continuously for 24 hours by tape recording will (1) aid in the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias, (2) improve the evaluation of such symptoms as dizziness, fainting, palpitation, and pain in the chest, (3) identify periods of transient myocardial ischemia, (4) evaluate antiarrhythmic drug therapy, and (5) demonstrate whether an electronic pacemaker is functioning appropriately. With specific examples, the author identifies those situations in which the