A first look at the ECG Flashcards
What are the 3 main recordings made from any pair of electrodes?
- SLL I = left arm wrt right arm
- SLL II = left leg wrt right arm
- SLL III = left leg wrt left arm
Basic principles of ECG
- Fast events e.g. depolarisation and repolarisation of the AP, are transmitted well.
- Slow events, e.g. the plateau of the AP, are not.
What hypothetical triangle is created around the heart when electrodes are placed on both arms and the left leg?
Einthoven’s triangle
What does each side of the Einthoven’s triangle represent?
Numbered that correspond to 3 leads (or pairs of electrodes) used for recording
What are the 2 leads of SLL I (standard limb lead 1)?
Left arm and right arm
What are the 2 leads of SLL II?
Right arm and left leg
What are the 2 legs of SLL III?
Left leg and left arm
What is the difference between an AP and an ECG recording?
- An AP is one electrical event in a single cell recorded using an intracellular electrode.
- An ECG is an extracellular recording that represents the sum of multiple action potentials taking place in multiple heart muscle cells.
On SLL II, what occurs when the wave of depolarisation passes the electrode on the left leg?
It creates a positive potential relative to the electrode on the right arm.
In SLL II, how is the P wave caused?
P wave is caused by atrial depolarisation.
In SLL II, how is the QRS complex caused?
QRS complex is caused by ventricular depolarisation.
In SLL II, how is the T wave caused?
T wave is caused by ventricular repolarisation.
Why can’t you see atrial repolarisation on the recording from SLL II?
Because atrial repolarisation coincides (same time) with ventricular depolarisation.
- Ventricular depolarisation involves much more tissue depolarising much faster so it swamps any signal from atrial repolarisation.
Why is the QRS complex so complex?
-Because different parts of the ventricle depolarise so different times in different directions:
1st – the interventricular septum depolarises from left to right
2nd – the bulk of the ventricle depolarises from the endocardial to the epicardial surface
3rd – the upper part of the interventricular septum depolarises
Why is the T wave positive-going?
Because the action potential is longer in endocardial cells than in epicardial cells, so the wave of repolarisation runs in the opposite direction to the wave of depolarisation.
Why is the R-wave bigger in SLL II than in SLL I or SLL III?
Because the main vector of depolarisation is in line with the axis of recording from the left leg with respect to the right arm.
What would happen to the wave if the heart was rotated to the left, or developed hypertrophy on the left, or atrophy on the right?
Causes axis deviation
What extra information do the augmented limb leads give you?
- By recording from one limb lead with respect to the other two combines, it gives you 3 other perspectives on events in the heart.
- ie recordings from SLLs I, II, III and aVR, aVL, aVF give you 6 different views of events occurring in the frontal (or vertical) plane
What causes an “upward-going blip” in an ECG recording?
A wave of approaching depolarisation
How does the wave of depolarisation pass in SLL2 (standard limb lead)?
It passes from atria down to the ventricles and through the body fluids towards the electrode on the left leg