EKG book..basics of reading an EKG Flashcards
What is the charge of the inside of a cardiac cell at rest?
Negative
polarity maintained by membrane pumps
This is the fundamental electrical event of the heart
*this happens spontaneously in pacemaker cells
DEPOLARIZATION
In non pacemaker cells, this occurs by the arrival of an electrical impulse that causes positively charged ions to cross the membrane..this continues until the whole heart is in this state
DEPOLARIZATION
All waves on an EKG are manifestations of _______ and _______
Depolarization and repolarization
3 types of cells in heart
Pacemaker
Electrical conducting
Myocardial (contractile machinery)
The rate of depolarization in pacemaker cells is determined by _________ and _________
- Electrical characteristics of cell
2. External neurohormonal input
A pacemaker cell does NOT have a true..
Resting potential
What is the dominant pacemaker of the heart?
Sinoatrial (SA) node
*located high up in RIGHT atrium
What is the typical firing rate of SA node cells?
60-100
Vagal stimulation does what to the SA node firing rate
Slows it down!
Long, thin cells that carry current rapidly to distant regions of heart
Electrical conducting cells
Conducting fibers at the top of the intra-atrial septum
- allows for rapid activation of the L atrium from the R atrium
Bachman’s bundle
Largest part of the heart tissue!
Responsible for the heavy labor or repeatedly contracting and relaxing, thereby delivering blood to the body
Myocardial cells
Myocardial cells contain lots of ______ and______
Actin and myosin
When a wave of depolarization reaches a myocardial cell, calcium is released in the cell, causing the cell to contract
Excitation-contraction Coupling
A wave of depolarization, upon reaching myocardial cells, will spread HOW across the entire myocardium?
SLOWLY!
Duration
Amplitude
Configuration
3 characteristics of EKG waves
Unit of measure for duration on EKG
fraction of a second
Unit of measure for amplitude on EKG
milivolts (mV)
Horizontal axis on an EKG measures…
Time! (in fraction of a second)
Distance across 1 small square (horizontally) represents..
0.04 seconds
Distance across 1 large square (horizontally) represents..
0.2 seconds (5x greater than a small square)
The vertical axis on an EKG measures…
Voltage (in milivolts, mV)
Distance of 1 small square vertically represents..
0.1 mV
Distance of 1 large square vertically represents..
0.5 mV
SA cells spontaneously depolarize, wave of depolarization spreads outwards into atrial myocardium. Depolarization of atrial myocardial cells results in..
Atrial contraction!