JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING

flight nurses will use this manual as a primary reference book for their profession. Those entering the flight nursing profession will find this book beneficial because it provides an overview of the responsibilities, values, priorities, and expectat ions of today's flight n u r s e s . - - W A M

Pass ACLS! (Based on the ACLS Guidelines. Amer ican Heart Association). St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, 1993, text 92 pages, video 45 minutes, $29.95.

No-stress ACLS? It doesn ' t exist! Especially if passing the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course is requi- site to keeping your job. However, there may be a way to take your next ACLS class without stress.

The book-video combination, Pass ACLS!, used in preparation for an ACLS class, readies you for the experi- ence whether this is your first a t tempt at the test or you are renewing your authorization for the fifth time.

The video takes you through each skills station, pro- viding tips on how to avoid common mistakes. For nurses who have never taken ACLS, this takes away some of the mystery (horror?) of your first ACLS experience. For ACLS veterans, it sugges ts areas in which you might be rusty so that you can make the most of your preclass review time.

Do you shudder at the phrase mega code? The narrator gives hints on how to approach this most-feared station with assurance.

Accompanying the video is a 92-page pocket-sized re- v iew book that contains a wri t ten review of all the skills sta- tions, well-reproduced rhythm strips with del ineated treat- ments for each, drug flash cards (including adenosine), and pract ice quest ions for the writ ten exam.

The compac t size of the book allows continued use on the job as a quick reference in the fervor of an emergency situation.

The medicat ion information is very complete, including dosages, indications, actions, side effects, precautions, and additional information on a single page.

Emergency depar tment nurses will find this video-book combinat ion immensely valuable while preparing for ACLS. It may finally be possible to have no-stress ACLS! - -SG

EZ ECGs. Tait C. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, 1994, 90 pp., $29.95, ISBN 0-8151-0034-5.

There are few pract ice set t ings where basic ECG interpretation is not a desirable or necessary skill for the provision of comprehensive care. With the dynamic and ev- er-expanding nature of health care knowledge, convenient and succinct learning aids are welcomed by busy working professionals. EZ ECGs provides such a program for ECG interpretation with its pocket-sized reference booklet and 35-minute videotape teaching format.

Designed both as an assist for learning the fundamen- tals of ECG interpretation and as a review for more ex- per ienced clinicians, the program is divided into five sections. Section One provides an overview of the cardiac

conduction system, ECG waveforms and graph paper mea- surements, rate calculation methods, and the five-step method used for rhythm analysis and identification. Also included is a glossary of basic ECG terminology. Section Two defines the criteria for sinus rhythms. Section Three presents criteria that define dysrhythmias including ectopic beats, atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter and fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. Heart blocks and escape rhythms are also presented. The final two sections of the program contain pract ice scenarios with patient his- tories and a 32-item self-test. The booklet contains five ba- sic criteria for analysis of each rhythm and a lead II hard copy or strip for review. Parameters for QRS rate, rhythm, atrial activity, QRS width, and P to QRS relationship are defined for each dysrhythmia.

Although the booklet material is concise and well orga- nized, the program is intended only as an "ass is t" for the beginning student, as the author points out. Its cursory re- v iew and description of dysrhythmia parameters assumes a basic level of knowledge and comfort with ECGs. Inclusion of only one seemingly " textbook" lead II strip for each dys- rhythmia also limits the learner 's opportunity to be exposed to illustrations with less obvious and typical cues. The vid- eotape content could have been des igned to enhance a clearer unders tanding of the writ ten material, particularly for individuals who learn better with visual cues or demonstra- tions; it does little to expand on wha t can only be described in the booklet.

EZ ECGs can serve as a convenient, handy pocket ref- erence for nurses learning to interpret basic ECG rhythms. The five-step method contained in the program is a useful dysrhythmia recognition tool, worth learning for those unfa- miliar with i t .--KD

PaU'icia K ~ Howard, l ~ , MSN, CCRN, C ~ , is the director of two intensive critical care units and critical care transport, Central Baptist Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky.

Susan M, Fitzgerald, RN, is a staff nurse, Emergency Depart- ment, Massachuset ts General Hospital, Boston, Massachu- setts.

Susanne Bottiggi, RN, MSN, CEN, is a clinical nurse specialist, Emergency Department, Boston City Hospital, Boston, Mas- sachusetts.

Wilson A. Matthews Ill, RN, BSN, CEN, is a flight nurse, Dart- mouth-Hitchcock Air Response Team, Dartmouth-Hitch- cock Medical Center, Lebanon, N e w Hampshire.

Sue Gtiffith, RN, BSN, MICN, CEN, is president of the Sacra- mento Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association and manager of Emergency Services at Mark Twain St. Joseph 's Hospital in San Andreas, California.

Ea ten Daley, RN, MPH, is a senior staff nurse, Emergency Department, Brigham and Women 's Hospital, Boston, Mas- sachusetts .

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