MEDRADSC 2A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Purkinje Fibers, Sinus Rhythm, Qrs Complex

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Medical Radiation Sciences
• Course: MEDRADSC 2A03
• Professor: Tara Blaszynski

Document Summary

It is a graphic recording of the electrical activity of the heart during the cardiac cycle. This is done by placing electrodes along the chest wall. An assessment of this waveform can detect mechanical abnormalities of the heart such as arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, & myocardial infarctions. It is also used to display heart rate & cardiac rhythm. Understanding how blood flows through the heart is critical to understanding the function of the heart, however . The heart needs an electrical stimulus to initiate the contractions needed to pump blood; this is called the conduction system. These impulses are created at the cellular level where phases of repolarization & depolarization (or action potential) occur within each cardiac cell. The resulting electrical current travels through the heart along a pathway known as the conduction system. The sa (sinoatrial) node: pacemaker of the heart when initiated it starts the flow of impulses.