EKG TESTING Flashcards
electrocardiogram (EKG)
a visual picture of the electrical activity of the heart created by placing electrodes on the body.
depolarization
occurs when the heart muscle contracts.
repolarization
occurs when the heart muscle relaxes
stylus
the heated instrument on the EKG machine that burns the recording into the heat-sensitive paper
electrodes
devices attached to the arms, legs, and chest that sense electrical impulses.
leads
the wires that transmit the signals for the EKG recording from the various electrode locations on the arms, legs, and chest.
standard
the mark that appears at the beginning or end of an EKG tracing that is a universal signal of the speed and sensitivity of the tracing.
unipolar
electrical conduction that comes from one specific location and travels in only one direction
bipolar
electrical conduction that occurs between two poles and travels in both directions between the poles
augmented
enhanced
artifacts
unwanted disturbances that can interfere with accurate interpretation of an EKG tracing
somatic tremor
body movements that cause an EKG tracing artifact; such as shivering, coughing, sneezing, talking, and moving
alternating current (AC) interference
caused by improper grounding or by a machine that is not equipped to filter out extraneous electrical currents
wandering baseline
also known as a baseline drift; in this artifact the baseline wanders up and down on the EKG paper, interfering with accurate recording.
interrupted baseline
a related artifact that may be seen as a sharp break in the tracing