NHA Certified EKG Tech

Mediastenum

space where heart is located, just behind the sterum

The top of the heart location

second intercostal

Base of the heart location

5th intercostal and mid clavicular line on the left

Endocardium

The innermost layer of the heart

chordae tendinae

connective tissue that keep the AV valves in place

Heart skeleton

Pericardium, parietal pericardium, visceral pericardium or epicardum and pericardial sac

Parietal pericardium

outside layer of the heart skeleton

Visceral pericardium or epicardium

the inner layer of the heart

Pericardial Sac

The layers and fluid between the two layers of the pericardium that prevent friction

septum

A wall of tissue that separates the left and right sides of the heart, The septum prevents oxygen rich and oxygen poor blood from mixing in the heart.

Right side of the heart

Pumps deoxygenated blood with low pressure from veins to the lungs; responsible for pulmonary circulation

Left side of the heart

Pumps oxygenated blood with high pressure toward the tissue through the arteries; responsible for systemic circulation

Number of chambers in the heart

four

Right and left atria

Smaller, thin walled chambers that are situated on top of the ventricles and receive blood from the lungs and veins

Right and left ventricles

Larger, more muscular chambers that eject blood to the systemic circulation and the two lungs

Right atrium RA

Receives deoxygenated blood returning to the heart from the body via the superior and inferior vena cava

Coronary Sinus

The largest vein that drains the heart muscle's deoxygenated blood received by the RA

Right Ventricle RV

Receives deoxygenated blood from the RA which is pumped to the lungs for oxygenation through the pulmonary trunk and the pulmonary arteries

Pulmonary arteries PA

The only arteries that carry deoxygenated blood

Left Atrium LA

Receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via the right and left pulmonary veins

Pulmonary Veins PV

The only veins that carry oxygenated blood

Left Ventricle LV

Receives the oxygenated blood from the LA and pumps it to the body through the aorta, the largest artery of the body

Blood Flow

Deoxygenated blood > superior vena cava> RA> tricuspid valve> RV> SL Pulmonary valves >PA> Pulmonary trunk> lungs>PV> LA> bicuspid or MV> LV> SL LV> systemic aortic valve

Heart valves

Prevents the back flow of blood ensuring uni-directional flow through the heart

Atrio-ventricular valves

Valves between the atria and ventricles that are have tough fibrous rings, long and strong leaflets cuspids, papillary muscles and chordae tendinae

Tricuspids valves

located between the right atria and right ventricle, it has three cusp

Bicuspids / mitral valves

located between the left atria and ventricle, two cusp

Pulmonic valve

located between the left ventricle and the pulmonary trunk

Aortic Valve

located between the left ventricle and the aorta

coronary arteries

located on the epicardium

Four vessels in coronary circulation

Left Anterior Descending (LAD), Left Circumflex (LCX) artery and the Left and Right Coronary

Systole

Contraction of both atrial and ventricles

diastole

Relaxation and filling of all cardiac chambers

Heart Sounds

Closure of the heart valves

S1 (Lubb)

During ventricular contraction and closure of AV valves

S2 (Dubb)

During ventricular relaxation when SL valves closes

Heart murmurs

Disease of the valves or any other abnormalities

Heart rate

Number of contractions per minute: 60-100 bpm

Chemo and Baro receptors

Controls the heart rate and is located in the aortic arch and carotoid arteries

Sympathetic nervous system

Affects both the atria and ventricles by increasing heart rate conduction and irritability

Parasympathetic Nervous system

Affects the atria only by decreasing heart rate conduction and irritability

Automaticity

The ability of the cardiac pacemaker cells to spontaneously initiate there own electrical impulse with out being stimulated from another source

Excitability

Cardiac cells and its ability to respond to external stimulus electrical chemical and mechanical

Conductivity

The ability of the cardiac cells to receive an electrical stimulus and transmit the stimilus to another cardiac cell

Contractility

The ability of the cardiac cells to shorten and cause cardiac muscle contraction in response to an electrical stimulus

Polarization

The heart resting

Depolarization

The heart when it is contracting. Systolic

Repolarization

The recovery of the heart, diastole

SA Node

Located in the upper posterior portion of the right atrial wall below the opening of the superior vena cava; It is the primary pacemaker of the heart

AV node

Located in the right atrium just above the tricuspid valve. electrical activity that allows blood flow from the atria to the ventricles

Bundle of His

located at the superior portion of the interventricular septum, the pathway leads to the SA Node

Purkinje fibers

located in the ventricular myocardium, it consist of small conduction fibers that delivers the electrical impulses to the ventricular myocardium

Bipolar leads

placed on the LA, RA, LL, RL this is the ground lead

Lead 1

LA - RA

Lead 2

LL - RA

Lead 3

LL - LA

Augmented Unipolar

needs only one electrode from one limb to make a lead; the machine records a midpoint between two other limbs

Lead aVR

Right arm is positive all other limbs are negative

Lead AvL

Left arm is positive and other are negative

Lead AVF

Left leg is positive and all others limbs is negative

Unipolar Precordial Leads

Six positive electrodes placed on the chest

V1

Forth intercostal space, right sternal border

V2

Forth intercostal space, left sternal border

V3

Equidistant between v2 and V4

V4

fifth intercostal space, left midclavicular line

V5

fifth intercostal space, anterior axillary line

V6

fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line

number of leads placed on the body

10 leads

number of readings

12

EKG paper

horizontal represents time; 1mm =0.04mm; 5mm = 0.2 seconds
vertical line represents amplitude 0.1 mV = 1mm

waveform

refers to the movement away from the isoelectric line either upward (positive) deflection or downward (negative)

Segment

line between two way forms

Interval

waveform plus a segment

complex

several waveforms

P wave

deflection of atrial depolarization. does not exceed 0.11s or 2.5mm in height

QRS complex

represents ventricular depolarization

Q Wave

initial negative deflection produced by ventricular depolarization

R wave

first positive deflection produced by ventricular depolarization

S wave

first negative deflection produced by the ventricular depolarization follows R wave

t wave

The deflection produced by ventricular repolarization

U wave

the deflection seen following the t wave but proceeds the P wave; shows hypokalemia low potassium, blood levels

RR interval

heart rate

PR interval

Normal interval is 0.12 -0.2

QRS interval

represents complete ventricular depolarization time. it should be no more than 0.1sec in limb leads and 0.11 sec in precordial leads

somatic tremors

patient's tremors or shaking the wires can poduce jittery patterns on the EKG tracing

Wandering baseline

sweat or lotion on patient's skin that interfere with the signal going to the EKG

60 cycle interference

deflection occurring at a rapid rate that may mimic atrial flutter

Stress test

Target heart rate is 220 - the persons age

arrhythmias

abnormal heart rate

tachcardia

heart rate over 100

brachcardia

heart rate under 60

myocardial ischemia

decrease in blood flow to a section of the heart

myocardial infraction

the actual death of the myocardial cells