The Value of Electrocardiography

¹ Assistant Clinical Professor in Medicine, University of Minnesota.

In conclusion, it may be stated that the electrocardiogram is a very valuable instrument to aid in the diagnosis and management of patients with heart disease. Its value depends upon a skilled interpretation of the record as well as a careful and proper correlation of this interpretation with the clinical course of the patient being investigated. The instrument is not at any time a substitute for a well taken history, nor for a well made physical examination, and certainly it is not a substitute for other forms of laboratory procedure in the study of heart disease. It cannot replace clinical experience and clinical judgment. Further, it must be emphasized that electrocardiographic heart disease is not synonymous with clinical heart disease, and also that very severe clinical heart disease can exist in the presence of a perfectly normal electrocardiographic tracing. Although the electrocardiogram may be of inestimable value in the study of cardiac disease, it must still remain as an adjunct to the clinical study of such phenomena.