An electrocardiogram (ECG) is noninvasive transthoracic graph produced by an electrocardiograph, which record the electrical activity of the heart over time. Its name is made of different parts: electro, because it is related to electrical activity, cardio, Greek for heart, gram a Greek roots meaning “to write” .
Electrical impulse in the heart originates in the sinoatrial node and travel through the intrinsic conducting system to the heart muscle. The impulses stimulate the myocardial muscle fibers to contract and thus induce systole. The electrical waves can be measured at electrodes placed at specific points on the skin. Electrodes on different sides of the heart measure the activity of different parts of the heart muscle.
William Einthoven developed the first electrocardiogram in 1903 using a crude galvanometer. Technology has advanced ECG measurement, but the principle remains the same. The electrocardiogram is the wave representation of the potential difference caused by heart activity. A grasp of the electrocardiogram has to be gained for two reasons:
1. An understanding of the wave forms the basis for the design of the electronic circuit to measure it; and
2. An understanding allows the concept of what and ECG is, and how its deviation enables analysis of health.
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