Preface

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. We all continue to struggle to have a better outcome from cardiovascular diseases. Early diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases play a major role to achieve this goal. However, appropriate diagnoses of cardiovascular diseases—either ischemic heart disease or arrhythmias remains a challenge. The electrocardiogram (ECG) plays a major role in diagnosing both ischemic heart disease and arrhythmia disorders. Hence, it plays a vital role in the field of cardiology.

This book provides an excellent overview of the diagnosis of abnormal ECGs, and is divided into two sections, including basic and practical applications of ECGs. In the first section, the authors provide an excellent discussion on the basic techniques of obtaining and processing electrocardiogram signals through deep learning methods; these are optimal techniques that can link the processing and analysis of nonstationary ECG signals, and the various statistical methods for converting ECG data into variant maps. In the second section, the authors provided a comprehensive review of the practical applications of ECGs. They discuss the application of various methods for identifying premature atrial beats, ECG characteristics of right and left ventricular tachyarrhythmia, and conditions producing left ventricular hypertrophy, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Although improvements in primary and secondary prevention of cardiac disease have resulted in a substantial reduction in overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, the incidence and prevalence of sudden cardiac arrest have not declined. The most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest is ventricular tachycardia. It is common knowledge that congestive heart failure is a major public health problem worldwide. Patients with very low ejection fraction are at high risk of having ventricular tachycardia, which eventually leads to sudden cardiac arrest. In this book, we have an excellent review of the management of ventricular tachycardia in the setting of congestive heart failure. Similarly, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is another cardiac disease that can produce sudden cardiac arrest in a relatively healthy population. This needs to be identified as soon as possible and action taken. Also provided is an excellent review addressing the genetic polymorphisms that play a major role in the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I sincerely believe that this will serve as a reference for clinicians who are involved in the complex cardiac care of these patients.

I gratefully acknowledge the invaluable organizational skills of the publisher IntechOpen, the timely and invaluable assistance of publishing process manager Ms. Rozmari Marijan, the design, technical generator, and information technology staff, and finally the marketing representatives who are working constantly to promote the book on various platforms. I sincerely appreciate and applaud all the contributing authors for their excellence, and hard work and commitment to the chapters. They have taken time from their personal and professional lives to complete this task. I thank them profusely for that.

We hope that this book will serve as a reference for the techniques used to obtain and process electrical signals for ECGs. This book is dedicated to my mother Mrs. Jana (for her constant support, continued encouragement, and unconditional love) and to my little one Master Shawn who continues to inspire me and make my life blissful.

### **Umashankar Lakshmanadoss MD FHRS**

Mercy Heart Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA

**1**

Section 1

Basic Science of

Electrocardiography

Section 1
