Introduction to Electrocardiography

    The electrocardiographyis a technique of recording the bio-electric currents generated by the heart. The graphical display of this recording is called electrocardiogram. The acronym ECG, refers in general to both electrocardiogram and electrocardiography. Sometimes, the acronym EKG is used instead of ECG. For more than one hundred years, the ECG has been used to reveal the condition of the heart and to diagnose cardiac illnesses. This has been possible because the cardiac muscle cells generate bio-currents which can be detected inside the body or on its surface using some special electrodes. Unlike the bio-currents generated by some other muscles, the currents generated by the heart muscles are periodic, that is, they consist of a repeated sequence of characteristic waveforms which correspond to a heart beat.
    This short tutorial on electrocardiography presents the basic principles underlying this medical technique. Being written by an engineer and not a physician, this introduction to electrocardiography tutorial is mainly focused on the technical aspects of the electrocardiography and provides only a brief introduction to the physiology of heart and the medical interpretation of the electrocardiographic signals.

Contents

• Introduction (this page)
• The heart
• ECG waves and leads
• Examples
• Interpretation of ECG

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For more comprehensive medical information about electrocardiography you can visit http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Ce-Fi/Electrocardiography.html