What is Electrocardiogram?

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Updated 10 years ago

• An electrocardiogram is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart
• An electrocardiogram is painless
• The heart is a pump with its own "generator" or "pacemaker" located in a specialized group of cells in the upper right atria, at its junction with the superior vena cava. This generator is called the Sinus Node ( SA Node )
• The brain stimulates the SA Node and an electric current is released which travels down a special pathway of muscle fibers and spreads through the heart. This current stimulates the heart muscle to contract and pumps the blood through the heart's chambers and into the vascular sysem.
• Electrodes placed on the skin can receive these electrical impulses and record them in the form of a line drawing on the heat sensitive ECG paper using a heated pen.
• This line drawing is the electrocardiogram. It is simply a recording of the electrical activity that occurs each time the heart contracts.