For the last year I have been working on a new version of EP Calipers for Windows and it is finally ready to be released. This new release is the 3.0 version of EP Calipers for Windows. Technically it is an upgrade of the current 2.x version, but practically it is a complete rewrite from… Continue reading EP Calipers 3 for Windows
Category: Electrophysiology
Hacking the QTc
The QT interval—a measure of the duration of the overlapping action potentials from two billion ventricular muscle cells—has fascinated physiologists since the dawn of electocardiography. Too long or too short, it can be a harbinger of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Sensitive to electrolytes, drugs, and autonomic tone, susceptible to congenital ionic channel mutations, difficult to… Continue reading Hacking the QTc
The End of Cardiostim
A few days ago I received an announcement by email that the Cardiostim meeting for 2018 has been cancelled. The Cardiostim website confirms this, and it looks like the meeting is gone for good. Back in June, 2000, while still an academic electrophysiologist at the University of Colorado, I attended my first Cardiostim meeting in… Continue reading The End of Cardiostim
George Mines and the Impermanence of Knowledge
It was a chilly Fall morning in Montreal. A Saturday, the campus of McGill University was quiet. Students, not much different in 1914 from those of today, were sleeping off their Friday night activities. A cleaning woman entered the Physiology Laboratory to dust the glassware and wash the floors. As she turned a corner she… Continue reading George Mines and the Impermanence of Knowledge
EP Studios App Updates
Here’s what’s going on with the EP Studios apps: EP Calipers Most of the new stuff is in EP Calipers. Probably the most useful new feature is available on the Mac and Windows versions: a transparent floating caliper window. Use it to overlay calipers over any open window on the desktop. Check figures of journal… Continue reading EP Studios App Updates
Thoughts on Mark Josephson
I’m sure there will be plenty of tributes to Dr. Josephson in the next few days from his colleagues who knew him well and those who didn’t know him personally but learned so much from his books and articles. I fall somewhere in the middle. I wasn’t one of his students at Penn who learned… Continue reading Thoughts on Mark Josephson
Massive Heart Attacks
Carrie Fisher’s sad, premature death is an occasion to reflect upon the poor job the news media does in reporting medical news. The initial report from TMZ had the headline “Carrie Fisher Massive Heart Attack on Plane.” If one equates “heart attack” to the more precise medical term “myocardial infarction,” as is usually done, then this… Continue reading Massive Heart Attacks
EP Calipers for Windows
EP Calipers for Windows is done. Whew. As stated in my previous post, porting the app to Windows was a bit of a struggle. Installing tools like a bash shell, git and Emacs took some time and effort. The Windows tool to bridge iOS apps didn’t work. So I was forced to port the code… Continue reading EP Calipers for Windows
What If My CHA2DS2-VASc Score Is One?
There is nothing simple about atrial fibrillation; it is a complicated, often overwhelming disease, both for patient and physician. One question that invariably comes up early on is the question of prophylactic anticoagulation for prevention of stroke. Who should receive anticoagulation? Which anticoagulant? How should anticoagulation be handled around the time of surgical procedures, or… Continue reading What If My CHA2DS2-VASc Score Is One?
Introducing EP Calipers
Ever since the 1990s, when computer-based electrophysiology (EP) systems were introduced, HV intervals and ventricular tachycardia cycle lengths have been measured in the EP lab by electronic calipers — simple but accurate measurements accomplished on-screen using a track ball or a mouse. Despite this, physicians still often carry a physical pair of calipers, perhaps preserved… Continue reading Introducing EP Calipers