Book excerpt: Offering a clear and consistent framework for recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of cardiac arrhythmia disturbances, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: A Practical Guide covers the fundamental analytical skills needed in this challenging area. This portable, highly accessible handbook focuses on the basics of clinical electrophysiology— how and when to perform an electrophysiology study as well as principles of ablation and other invasive therapies—all in a succinct and modern format. - Focuses on using an effective, consistent, decision-making process in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating rhythm disturbances of the heart, including supraventricular tachycardias, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardias, and other rapid or irregular heartbeats. - Covers anatomic fundamentals of cardiac structures, clinical indications for electrophysiology studies, practicalities and methodology of performing an electrophysiology study, and problems encountered during the procedure. - Includes quick clinical summaries and more than 180 illustrations: electrophysiology recordings, ECGs, cardiac anatomy, radiographic images, and electroanatomic maps. - Discusses key topics such as mechanisms of arrhythmias, conventional and electroanatomic mapping systems, fundamentals of cardiac mapping, biophysics of catheter ablation, and much more. - Offers real-world guidance on contemporary practice from leading cardiac electrophysiologists Drs. Demosthenes G Katritsis and Fred Morady, with input from a multinational team of electrophysiology fellows and cardiologists. - Ideal as a stand-alone resource or used in conjunction with Dr. Douglas Zipes' renowned textbook, Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside.