L17/18 EKG Flashcards
Electrical dipoles
At rest no change in voltage detected (even though has membrane potential)
Depolarizing - differential in voltage detected
Fully depolarized returned to resting conditions
Repolarizing - differential in voltage detected
At rest no differential
Dipole
Pos and neg charge separated by smaller distance which generates local current flow and electrical field
Dipoles close together in space and time can summate
Vectors
Physical quantities with magnitude and direction represented by arrows
Tell what is primary way heart is depolarizing
Cardiac vectors
The resultant sun of all dipoles during cardiac cycle
Electrocardiogram
Record of overall speed of activity throughout the heart during depolarization and repolarization
Record of part of electrical activity induced in body fluids by cardiac impulses that reach body surface (not direct actual electrical activity of heart)
Comparisons in voltage detected by electrodes at two different points on body surface
Not actual potential generated
Does not record potential when muscle is completely depolarized or repolarized
As a positive wave of depolarization within the myocytes flows
Towards a positive electrode, there is a positive deflection recorded on the ekg
Lead arrangements
Limb leads (frontal) Bipolar leads I, II, III Augments unipolar leads aVR, aVL, aVF
Chest leads (transverse)
Precordial leads
V1-V6
Makes combination that allows to create vector
Gives all different perspective of the heart
Standard limb leads give
Einthovens triangle
Bipolar limb
Frontal plane
Bipolar leads - each lead made up of two active electrodes (+ and -)
+ and - are attached to the arms and legs
Augmented limb leads
Unipolar limb lead
Oriented on frontal plane
Active (exploring) electrode plus an indifferent electrode
Form
Intermediate angles btw standard limb leads
Precordial leads
Unipolar chest leads
6 additional leads consisting of 6 active electrodes positioned on the chest (indifferent electrode is the central terminal)
Positioned perpendicular to the plane of the limbs leads
Oriented to obtain info on the transverse and sagittal planes
Twelve lead system
Gives you 360 of frontal plane and horizontal plane
What info can be obtained from ekg?
Pattern and frequency of events
Rhythm (reg or irreg)
Rate (atrial and ventricular)
Conduction time
Intervals/segments btw waves indicate conduction
Width of waveforms indicates conduction time through an area
Axis determination
Direction of depolarization and repolarization of cardiac structures
Size of chamber
Amplitude is proportional to mass of currently active cells
What an ekg can’t tell you?
Doesn’t tell much about mechanical activity ( contraction, relaxation) except during ventricular fibrillation
Deflections in ekg
- Depolarization of atria
P wave
(SA node not seen because too small) - Flat is AV delay (isoelectric pt)
- QRS complex (ventricles depolarizing) downward deflection, very large upward, another downward deflection (atria is repolarizing simultaneously but masked but QRS
- Upward wave T wave (repolarizing of ventricles) pos because direction of current, traveling alway from electrodes (neg and away = pos)
TP interval
Ventricles completely relaxed and refilling
Waves
Simple upward or downward deflection of ekg
Electrical impulses originating in the SA node produce various waves on the ekg as they spread throughout the heart
Movement away from the baseline in either pos or neg direction
Segments
Period of time btw waveforms
Normally isoelectric