6.2 - How Electrodes and Leads Work

Electrodes are placed on the body to obtain different ______ or ______ of each section of the heart:

views; angles

What does each electrode attach to, and what does each lead measure?

Each electrode attaches to a lead, and each lead measures the direction and intensity of voltage being discharged by the heart at a specific time.

What is important to understand before learning how to place the electrodes and leads on a patient?

It is important to understand how the leads measure electrical activity within the heart.

The standard 12-lead ECG uses two groups of leads: the ______ leads, which include the augmented lead views and ______ lead, and the ______ leads:

limb; ground; precordial

How many wires (leads) actually attach between the machine and the patient in a 12-lead ECG, and why is this?

There are actually only 10 “wires” (leads) because there are only two sets of leads—the 4 limb leads and the 6 chest leads.

How many of the leads show electrical activity of the heart from a different angle, and which lead does not carry current?

Nine leads show electrical activity from different angles, and one lead, the ground lead, carries no current.