Module 8 : ECG and Rhythm Recognition Flashcards
12 lead ECG
- measurement of the electricity produced from the heart is sensed by 10 different electrodes over the body
- electricity is organized into leads that can tell the reader what area the heart signal is coming from
Electrocardiogram ECG
- measuring electricity of the heart
parts of the ECG waveform
- P wave
- T wave
- QRS complex
- PR interval
- PR segment
- QT interval
- ST interval
The ECG - 2 electrical planes
- ECG electrodes on 12 lead ECG senses the electricity of the heart in 2 planes
1) frontal plane
2) horizontal plane
Frontal Plane / Vertical Axis
- the LIMB LEADS (right arm left arm left leg) (I II III) and the AUGMENTED VECTOR LEADS (aVR, aVL, aVF) produce signal in the frontal plane
horizontal plane
- the V leads (chest, V1-V6) produce the signal in the horizontal plane
the limb leads in the frontal plane
Lead I
Lead II
Lead III
frontal plane limb leads - Lead I
- Right arm (RA) (-)
- Left arm (LA) (+)
frontal plane limb leads - Lead II
- Right Arm (-)
- left foot (LF) (+)
frontal plane limb leads - Lead III
- left arm (-)
- left foot (+)
leads
the path between the electrodes on the chest
einthovens triangle
- the triangle formed by the leads and electrodes
The P wave
- represents atrial depolarization (NOT CONTRACTION)
- ATRIAL CONTRACTION OCCURS DURING PR SEGMENT
- SA (sinotrial) node passes the signal through the inter–nodal tracts to the LA and RA muscle
- may be totally absent or very disorganized in some arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation)
- must have pause after the P wave to allow the atria to contract and eject its contents into the ventricle (PR INTERVAL)
LENGTH OF THE PR INTERVAL
LESS THAN 200ms
stages of the ECG wave - Stage 1
- depolarization of atrial contractile fibres produce P wave
stages of the ECG wave - stage 2
- atrial systole
- in the PR segment
stages of the ECG wave - stage 3
- depolarization of the ventricular contractile fibres produces QRS complex
stages of the ECG wave - stage 4
- ventricular systole ( contraction )
- ST segment
stages of the ECG wave - stage 5
- repolarization of ventricular contractile fibres produces the T wave
stages of the ECG wave - stage 6
- ventricular diastole (relaxation)
P wave reacted to hemodynamics
- the P wave corresponds to the late filling portion of the cardiac cycle
The PR interval
- covers the time from when the beginning of the P wave to the end of the PR sement / beginning of QRS complec
- covers atrial depolarization and contraction
the PR segment
- the atria are now contracting (mechanical) while the signal is sitting at the bundle of His (electrical)
+ waiting to go into bundle branches
The Atrioventricular Node (AV Node)
- the AV node and Bundle of His slow the conduction speed considerably
- slowing conduction allows the atria to have time to contract
- once atria contract and fill the ventricles then the signal gets the green light to go into the left and right bundle branches and on the ventricles
the QRS complex
- involves the depolarization of different parts of both ventricles in sequence
- REPRESETNS VENTRICULAR DEPOLARIZATION
- NOT WHEN VENTRICLE CONTRACTS
- combination between conduction through bundle branches, purkinjie fibres
and ventricle muscle cells - each segment of the QRS represents a different segment (of the heart) of conduction
left bundle branch (LBB)
- has 2 fascicles
+ left anterior and left posterior fascicle - fascicles are like wires
- left has more fascicles because left ventricle more complex and thicker
right bundle branch (RBB)
- only has 1 fascicle
speed of impulse in bundle branches
- the speed of travel through the BB impact the QRS duration
- if signal is blocked the QRS duration gets wider