Electrocardiography (ECG)

Introduction

• The ECG is a basic investigation that is widely used in medicine
• You are guided through a module based on your objectives.
• This package teaches you the important fundamentals of recording a 12-lead ECG and labeling the ECG.
• Numerous patient cases are provided for evaluation while your understanding of material will be tested at the end of the module

Normal activation of the heart

• The resting potential is maintained by ionic gradients across the cells with a higher sodium concentration outside and higher potassium concentration inside
• Following a stimulus, a rapid inward movement of sodium occurs causing a loss of the negative internal potential. This is called as depolarization.
• This is followed by repolarization, a slower process than depolarization where the potassium moves out of the cell