EKG (FINAL) Flashcards
Define tachycardia
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- Rapid beating of the heart
- Typically over 100 bpm
Define fibrillation
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- Rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized contraction of the heart
Define bradycardia
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- A slow heart rate
- Typically a resting heart rate of under 60 bpm
What are electrocardiograms also known as?
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EKG
What are electrocardiograms?
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An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a graphic recording of the electrical changes of the cardiac cycle
What do EKGs measure?
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- Electrical changes of the cardiac cycle consisting of:
- Voltage
- Time
Describe the cellular structure of cardiac muscle
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- Cardiac muscle characterisitics
- Striations
- Branching
- Intercalated dics
- Involuntary
What is the purpose of an EKG?
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Diagnostic tool
What do EKGs not measure?
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EKGs do not measure blood flow
What do EKGs use for recordings?
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EKGs uses pairs of electrodes (leads)
What are the purpose of an EKG’s leads/electrodes?
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Look at the heart from different angles
What are the controlling systems of the cardiac cycle?
What type of junctions does the cardiac muslce have?
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Gap junctions
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Define gap junction
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Gap junction
- __A junction between adjacent animal cells that allows the passage of materials between the cells
How does the cardiac muscle cells exhibit automaticity?
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- The cardiac cell’s ability to s_pontaneously generate an electrical impulse_ (depolarize).
- Cells that are dedicated to the purpose of generating an impulse to maintain a heart rate commensurate with the body’s need are called pacemaker cells.
How does the myocardium function as a single unit?
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- Some cardiac muscle cells are self-excitable or autorhythmic.
- These cells generate an action potential that spreads throughout the myocardium
- Causing the heart to contract as a single unit
What are the two controling systems for cardiac muscle?
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- Autonomic nervous system
- Intrinsic conduction system (nodal system)
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Right Atrium
- Recieves deoxygenated blood from the vena cavas
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Sinoatrial node (SA node)
- “Pacemaker”
- Located in the upper posterior wall of the right atrium
What is the function of X?
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Sinoatrial Node (SA Node)
- Pacemaker
- An electrical signal originates within the SA node
- The electrical signal is called the action potential or the cardiac impulse
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Atrioventricular node (AV node)
- Located in the floor of the right atrium, near the interatial septum
What happens to the cardiac impulse at X?
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Atrioventricular node (AV)
- The cardiac impulse slows down as it moves through the AV node into the bundle of His
Why is it important for the cardiac impulse to slow down as it moves through the AV node?
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- The slow movement delays ventricular activation
- Allowing the relaxed ventricle to fill with blood during atrial contraction
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Purkinje Fibers