The Basics Part 1 Flashcards
What can we see with an EKG?
Hypertrophy
Ischemia and Infarction
Rate and rhythm of the heart
Electricity of the heart
Plumbing of the heart
Toxic effects of medication on the heart
What do the lines on an EKG represent?
they represent process of electricity traveling throughout the heart
What are the three types of cells within the heart?
pacemaker cells
conduction cells
myocardinal cells
What do pacemaker cells do?
Controls heart rate and “sets the pace”
depolarization serves as the source of a wave depolarization that spreads throughout the heart
Electrical conduction cells
long thin cells, carry electrical current rapidly and efficiently to distant regions of the heart
What is the purkinje system?
ventricular conducting fibers
What is the Bachmann’s bundle?
fibers located at the top of the intra atrial septum that allow electrical current to travel rapidly from RA to LA
What cells constitute the largest part of the heart tissue?
mycoardial cells
What do the waves on the EKG primarily reflect?
electrical activity of myocardial cells
Which electrical current is most efficient? conducting cells or myocardial cells
myocardial cells is much less efficient than conducting cells
What does the duration measure?
length of contraction
What does the amplitude measure?
Strength of contraction (mV)
What is the configuration of a wave?
subjective, refers to shape and appearance of wave (sharp, round, etc)
EKG paper measurements
Large squares = 5x5
Small squares = 1x1
What does the horizontal axis measure?
time
Distance across small square = 0.04 seconds
Distance across large square = 0.04 x 5 = 0.20 seconds
