ECG Tutorial
ECG Tutorial
ECG Tutorial
Definition
Test that records the electrical
activity of the heart
Measure:
Rate and regularity of heartbeats
Size and position of the chambers
Presence of any damage to the
heart
Effects of drugs or devices used to
regulate the heart
Systemic condition that gives
effect to the heart
How does it work?
The heart is a muscle with well-
coordinated electrical activity, so
the electrical activity within the
heart can be easily detected from
outside of the body.
- I
+/-
II III
+
Extremity lead (unipolar)
Rate
Rhythm
Axis
P wave morphology
PR interval
QRS complex morphology
ST segment morphology
T wave morphology
U wave morphology
QTc interval
Determining the Heart Rate
Rule of 300
300/[number of large boxes between two R waves].
only works for regular rhythms !!
Hypertrophy
Ischemia/infarct
Arrhythmia
Hypertrophy
Right atrial enlargement
Tall, peaked p wave
Left atrial enlargement
Widening p wave, M-shape, notched
Deep, negative component p wave in V1
Ventricular Hypertrophy
LVH (sokolow, Lyon)
S di V1 + R di V5 atau V6 > 35 mm
R di V5 atau V6 > 26 mm
R + S di lead precordial > 45 mm
RVH
R/S di V1 > 1 atau R/S di V6 < 1
R in V5 > 26 mm
R/S in V1 > 1 or R/S in V6 < 1
Infarct / Ischemia
Evolution of MI
Hyperacute T wave changes -
increased T wave amplitude and
width; may also see ST elevation
Marked ST elevation with hyperacute
T wave changes (transmural injury)
Pathologic Q waves, less ST
elevation, terminal T wave inversion
(necrosis)
Pathologic Q waves, T wave inversion
(necrosis and fibrosis)
Pathologic Q waves, upright T waves
(fibrosis)
I, aVL, V5
V2-V4
Arrhythmia
Classification
Supraventrivular arrythmia
Sinus pause or arrest, SA block, PAC, atrial flutter,
atrial fibrillation, etc
Ventricular arrythmia
PVC, VT, torsade de pointes, VF, etc
AV conduction abnormalities
AV block, WPW syndrome, etc
Rhythm
Rhythm Guidelines:
Check the bottom rhythm strip for regularity, i.e. -
regular, regularly irregular, and irregularly irregular.
Check for a P wave before each QRS, QRS after
each P.
Check PR interval (for AV blocks) and QRS (for
bundle branch blocks). Check for prolonged QT.
Recognize "patterns" such as atrial fibrillation, PVC's,
PAC's, escape beats, ventricular tachycardia,
paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, AV blocks and bundle
branch blocks
Blocks
SA node block
Failure
of the SA node to transmit an impulse
Complete pause of 1 beat ("skipped beat")
AV node block
Block which delays the electrical impulse as it
travels between the atria and the ventricles in the AV
node
Presented by PR interval
Blocks
1st degree AV block
PR interval greater than 0.2 seconds (200ms or 1 large box)
Criteria
QRS duration < 0.12 s
Right axis deviation > +110 degrees
Small r wave and large S wave in leads I, aVL
Small q waves in inferior leads
No other explanation for RAD (ex. RVH,
COPD, lateral myocardial infarction)
Supraventricular Arrythmia
Premature atrial contraction
Single or repetitive, unifocal or multifocal
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial activity is poorly defined; may see course or fine
undulations or no atrial activity at all
Ventricular response is irregularly irregular
Supraventricular
Atrial flutter
Regular atrial activity with a "clean" saw-tooth appearance
The ventricular response may be 2:1, 3:1 (rare), 4:1, or
irregular
Ventricular tachycardia
Sustained (lasting >30 sec) vs. nonsustained
Monomorphic (uniform morphology) vs. polymorphic vs. Torsade-de-
pointes
Ventricular
Ventricular fibrillation
Chaotic, wide, ventricular tachyarrythmia with
grossly irregular morphology
No consistent identifiable QRS complexes