Learn how to recognize a STEMI, understand which leads go together, localize the MI, and know what those ECG changes mean at the bedside.
STEMI ECG Lead Guide
A visual, bedside-focused guide designed to help 12-lead ECGs finally make sense.
Digital download • Bedside-focused • Includes practice pages
Maybe you remember that II, III and aVF are inferior.
Maybe you know V1–V4 have something to do with the anterior/septal wall.
Maybe you can recognize obvious ST elevation.
But when you’re standing at the bedside looking at an actual 12-lead, it can all start running together.
Which leads are contiguous?
Where exactly is the J point?
How much ST elevation matters?
What part of the heart am I looking at?
Which coronary artery could be involved?
And what do I actually DO with this information?
That’s the gap this guide was created to fill.
I’ve been an ICU nurse for 19+ years, and I’m also a former teacher.
One thing I’ve learned from teaching nurses is that memorizing more information doesn’t always make something click.
Sometimes you need someone to back up, show you the big picture, and connect all the pieces.
That’s exactly how I built this guide.
We start with the foundation, then work through lead placement, contiguous leads, STEMI recognition, MI localization and what those findings mean at the bedside.
No giant cardiology textbook required.
✓ ECG basics so you understand what you’re actually looking at
✓ Chest and limb lead placement with clear visuals
✓ Contiguous leads and how to group them
✓ J-point + ST elevation recognition
✓ MI localization to connect ECG changes with the affected heart region and likely coronary artery
✓ Bedside next steps when your ECG is concerning for MI
✓ 3 pages of practice so you can actually use what you learned
You can recognize that an ECG looks wrong, but you’re not always sure why.
You still have to stop and think about which leads go together.
You’ve memorized inferior, anterior, lateral and septal leads before…and forgotten them again.
You understand rhythms better than you understand 12-lead ECGs.
You worry that you’d miss a change because you’re waiting for the computer interpretation or someone more experienced to look at it.
You want to be able to speak up confidently when something on your patient’s ECG concerns you.
It’s to help you become the nurse who looks at the ECG and thinks:
Wait. Something isn’t right here.
And instead of immediately looking around for someone else to interpret it…
You know what you’re looking at.
You know which leads matter.
You know why you’re concerned.
And you know it’s time to speak up.
That’s the kind of confidence I want you to build at the bedside.
Make 12-lead ECGs finally start making sense.
Keep the information together in one visual, easy-to-reference guide you can study, practice with, and come back to whenever you need a refresher.
Instant digital download • Start learning right away
FAQ section
You've got questions. We've got answers.
Absolutely. There is plenty of free ECG information online.
But then you’re pulling up one resource for lead placement, another for contiguous leads, another for STEMI criteria, another for coronary territories, and another for what to do next.
I made this so you don’t have to piece it all together yourself.
It’s organized in the order I would actually teach it to someone who told me:
“I need 12-leads to finally make sense.”
You do not have to be “good at ECGs” before you start.
If 12-leads have always felt like a bunch of squiggly lines and random lead names you were supposed to memorize, start here.
We’ll build the foundation first and then put the pieces together.
You don’t need more memorization. You need it explained in a way that makes sense.
This guide is an amazing resource with information from respected places (like the AHA). As a bedside nurse, you must ALWAYS follow the policies and procedures of the facility you work for.