EKG Paper Supplier & Medical Equipment

EKG Strips and How an EKG Machine Works

Thursday, November 19, 2009
If you have ever undergone an electrocardiogram test, then you are probably familiar with the EKG strip and the electrocardiogram (EKG) machine. Undergoing the test once or twice, however would not give you a basic understanding of what exactly EKG strips are and how the EKG machine works. All these tests give you is knowledge that the machine determines the state and health of your heart through readings that are printed on the strips and later evaluated by the doctor. But aren't you a bit curious to learn more of EKG strips and machines? This article describes what EKG strips are and how an EKG machine works.

The EKG strip

EKG strips, as you should know if you've already seen one, are basically rolled-up strips of paper printed with a series of lines. The roll goes into the EKG machine and is dispensed in a similar way that fax paper is fitted and dispensed from a fax machine. The similarities between the two, however, end there. EKG strips are far more complicated than simple fax paper. The lines that run along these strips, for instance, are not placed there without reason. These lines that form squares and grids represent time and are also a means of measuring voltage. The several small squares, for one, all measure one millimeter and they represent 0.04 seconds while the thick lines forming the larger squares represent intervals of 0.2 seconds. Finally, the per ten squares of the vertical columns stand for one MV (volume). Heartbeat is printed on these papers and on the squares as a staggered line. Doctors determine the activities and state of your heart by measuring and observing the patters set by this staggered line.

The EKG machine

How an EKG machine works is fairly simple to understand. The machine detects and measures electric impulses from the heart and records these on a EKG strip. The impulses are detected by placing metal sensors in different areas of a patient's body, usually on the chest, wrist, and ankles. These sensors are connected by wires to a machine that reads, interprets, and prints the impulses on the paper.

Source: EzineArticles.com

1 comments to EKG Strips and How an EKG Machine Works:

Nitrile Gloves said...

If a person is a patient in the hospital, they may need to wear the ECG monitor for longer amounts of time.

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