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I. The Standard 12 Lead ECG

Frank G. Yanowitz, MD
Professor of Medicine
University of Utah School of Medicine

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII

The standard 12-lead electrocardiogram is a representation of the heart's electrical activity recorded from electrodes on the body surface. This section describes the basic components of the ECG and the lead system used to record the ECG tracings.

Topics for study:

  1. ECG Waves and Intervals
  2. Spatial Orientation of the 12 Lead ECG




ecg_533.gif
click to view

This diagram illustrates ECG waves and intervals as well as standard time and voltage measures on the ECG paper.

1. ECG Waves and Intervals:

What do they mean?




2. Orientation of the 12 Lead ECG

It is important to remember that the 12-lead ECG provides spatial information about the heart's electrical activity in 3 approximately orthogonal directions:

Each of the 12 leads represents a particular orientation in space, as indicated below (RA = right arm; LA = left arm, LF = left foot):







Click here to see: Lead Placement Diagrams

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