Build the foundation for rhythm interpretation: waveforms, intervals, rate calculation, rhythm families, heart blocks, pacing, and more.

ECG interpretation becomes easier when the learner understands the language before trying to memorize individual rhythms. Zombie Notes ECG Basics is a two-page foundation chart that brings cardiac electrical concepts, waveform meaning, intervals, leads, graph-paper measurements, heart-rate calculation, rhythm analysis, common arrhythmias, heart blocks, pacemakers, and selected physiologic relationships into one compact reference.

About This Study Chart

The chart begins with cardiac physiology and electrophysiology, then connects depolarization and repolarization to the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave. It reviews PR, QRS, ST, QT, and Q-wave concepts, explains the basic use of leads and ECG paper, and provides several ways to calculate heart rate. From there, the learner is given a simple analysis framework: identify P waves and QRS complexes, assess regularity, determine rate, compare atrial and ventricular activity, measure intervals, and look for ST changes.

Page two expands into junctional and ventricular rhythms, premature beats, ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes, ventricular fibrillation, PEA, heart blocks, pacemakers and pacemaker malfunction, selected drug and electrolyte effects, circulation pressures, and preload/afterload concepts. The purpose is not to create an exhaustive ECG textbook. It is to give the learner a compact working framework for continued rhythm study.

What You’ll Find Inside

• ECG electrical foundations: Polarization, depolarization, repolarization, cardiac-cycle concepts, and the relationship between electrical activity and the tracing.
• Waveforms and intervals: P waves, QRS complexes, T waves, PR interval, ST segment, QT interval, and Q waves are organized as core measurement concepts.
• Leads, graph paper, and rate calculation: A concise review of lead concepts, ECG paper timing, and several methods for calculating heart rate.
• A repeatable rhythm-analysis checklist: The chart prompts the learner to assess P waves, QRS complexes, regularity, rate, P-to-QRS relationships, intervals, and ST changes.
• Common rhythm families: Sinus, atrial, junctional, and ventricular rhythms are grouped so learners can compare their origins and visual characteristics.
• Heart blocks and pacing: First-, second-, and third-degree AV blocks are reviewed alongside pacemaker purpose and common pacemaker-malfunction patterns.
• Selected physiologic and clinical connections: Drug/electrolyte effects, blood-pressure concepts, MAP, preload, afterload, and cardiac output extend the chart beyond pure rhythm naming.

Who It Helps

• Nursing students beginning ECG/EKG interpretation.
• ACLS students who need stronger rhythm-recognition foundations.
• Telemetry, emergency, critical-care, and other clinicians refreshing basic ECG concepts.
• Learners who want one compact chart for repeated review before moving into more advanced rhythm interpretation.

How Zombie Notes Work

Use the chart as a framework rather than a one-time reading. Start with the electrical sequence and waveform meanings, then practice the analysis checklist on rhythm strips from your course materials. When a rhythm is confusing, return to the chart and ask which part of the normal sequence has changed.

For focused reinforcement, pair this chart with Zombie Notes Bradycardia for AV-block recognition and Zombie Notes ECG Terminology for quick vocabulary review. The three together move from language, to fundamentals, to a focused rhythm-comparison exercise.

Continuously Updated for Ongoing Review

The Zombie Notes series is continuously updated with the latest guidelines and research. Rhythm definitions, measurements, and clinical interpretation should still be checked against the learner's current course materials and authoritative clinical references.

About the Authors

Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN, is a nurse practitioner, healthcare educator, and author whose teaching focuses on making complex clinical material easier to organize, review, and remember. Her Zombie Notes Study Charts use concise explanations, visual structure, and repeated high-yield relationships to support students, nurses, and other healthcare professionals as they study certification and clinical-review material.

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr., is a writer, publisher, and co-creator of the Zombie Notes Study Charts. Through The Mindful Nurse Press, he works alongside Michele to turn complex clinical material into clear, well-organized study tools, handling the design, production, and publishing that bring each chart to healthcare students and professionals.

Product Details

• Title: ECG/EKG Basics
• Series: Zombie Notes Study Charts
• Subtitle: A Test Prep Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Students
• Authors: Michele G. Kunz, MSN, ANP, RN
• Publisher: Dickson Keanaghan, LLC
• Imprint: The Mindful Nurse Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Format: Ebook / Digital Study Guide
• Print Edition: None — Ebook Only
• Ebook ISBN: 979-8-90706-017-3
• Language: English

Educational Note

This study chart is intended for education and review. It is not a substitute for professional training, clinical judgment, institutional policy, local protocols, medical direction, or current authoritative references. Because terminology, treatment standards, and resuscitation guidance can change, readers should verify clinically actionable information before applying it in practice.