The course will provide a series of multiple-choice questions based around 12-lead electrocardiograms as encountered in inpatient and outpatient based settings. The emphasis will be on common and potentially life-threatening clinical entities including acute coronary syndromes, major cardiac arrhythmias, metabolic problems affecting the ECG, as well as other conditions such as drug toxicities. The cases will feature multimedia adjuncts including echocardiograms and cardiac catheterization images to engage the participant and to enhance the clinical correlates. Emphasis will be on differential diagnosis and avoiding common clinical pitfalls. The faculty for the course is from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

This course will be directed at physicians and allied health personnel from a wide range of disciplines including emergency medicine physicians, internists, family practice physicians, anesthesiologists and cardiologists. Participants will have the chance to review and advance their knowledge of state-of-the-art ECG interpretations by taking the course. They will be required to complete all content associated with the course (their progress is electronically tracked). In addition, all participants will be required to correctly answer all associated multiple choice questions during the course.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 6 hours to complete.

COST: $120.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Review common and life-threatening clinical conditions which can be diagnosed via ECG findings as encountered in the emergency department, general wards, intensive care units, and outpatient settings.
2. Enhance case-based clinical problem solving using multiple choice questions.
3. Increase diagnostic skills related to the recognition and differential diagnosis of a variety of acute and chronic conditions including:
   
   • Acute coronary syndromes
   • Cardiac arrhythmias
   • Life-threatening metabolic problems such as hyperkalemia
   • Drug toxicities such as tricyclic antidepressant overdose
   • Other life-threatening cardiopulmonary problems, including pulmonary embolism

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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ARY L. GOLDBERGER, MD Course Director

Ary L. Goldberger, M.D., is the Director of the Margret and H.A. Rey Laboratory for Nonlinear Dynamics in Medicine and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Program Director of the Research Resource for Complex Physiologic Signals (www.physionet.org) funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Goldberger has a long-standing interest in electrocardiography and non-invasive electrophysiology and is the author of two standard textbooks on ECG analysis (Goldberger AL. Clinical Electrocardiography: A Simplified Approach, 7th edition, St. Louis, Mosby, 1999, and Goldberger AL. Myocardial Infarction: Electrocardiographic Differential Diagnosis, 4th edition, Elsevier/Mosby-Year Book, 2006). Both books have been translated into a number of languages. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

LARRY A. NATHANSON, MD Course Director

Larry A. Nathanson, M.D. is an Emergency Physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He is also the Director of Emergency Medicine Informatics in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Nathanson's research interests include computer generation of ECG's, medical education, and ED informatics, including patient tracking and surveillance techniques for bioterrorism. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

SETH MCCLENNEN, MD Course Contributor

Seth McClennen, MD is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. McClennen is a partner in clinical electrophysiology practice at Harbor Medical Associates in South Weymouth, MA. Dr. McClennen is involved in multiple teaching venues with Harvard Medical School, including coordinating and lecturing in the outpatient medicine cardiology lecture series for third year medical students. He is partially supported by the Harvard University Provost's Fund for Innovation in Instructional Computing. His research interests include methods of left atrial volume assessment in patients with atrial fibrillation, and exploring the limitations of the cardiac troponin assay. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 6 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 6 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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