ECG BASICS
This recording shows the electrical activity of the heart.
What is an ECG or EKG?
Oxygenated blood leaves the heart through this vessel.
What is the aorta?
The natural pacemaker of the heart.
What is the SA node?
The ground electrode is placed on this extremity.
What is the right leg?
A pulmonary function test commonly used at home to monitor asthma.
What is peak flow?
This heart rhythm monitoring device can be used by a patient for up to 30 days when symptoms occur.
What is a cardiac event recorder?
Another name for the bicuspid valve.
What is the mitral valve?
This structure receives the impulse directly from the AV node.
What is the Bundle of His?
This chest lead is placed at the fourth intercostal space, right sternal border.
What is V1?
When using a metered dose inhaler, the patient should do this while pressing the canister.
What is breathe in (inhale)?
A period of time between two points on an ECG tracing.
What is an interval?
This valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle.
What is the mitral valve?
These fibers distribute the electrical impulse throughout the ventricles.
What are Purkinje fibers?
This chest lead is placed at the fifth intercostal space, midclavicular line.
What is V4?
This artifact is caused by a patient talking, moving, or shivering.
What is somatic tremor?
The first wave normally seen on an ECG tracing.
What is the P wave?
The resting phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart fills with blood.
What is diastole?
Electrical activity on the ECG occurs during these two states.
What are depolarization and repolarization?
This chest lead is placed on the same horizontal plane as V4 at the midaxillary line.
What is V6?
This artifact appears when lead wires are wrapped too tightly together.
What is AC interference?
A resting 12 lead ECG requires this number of electrodes.
What is 10 electrodes?
The contracting phase of the heartbeat.
What is systole?
This node delays the impulse before passing it to the Bundle of His.
What is the AV node?
Proper ECG equipment maintenance includes storing lead wires this way.
What is storing them in a loose coil?
This artifact causes the ECG baseline to drift up and down.
What is wandering baseline?