ECG

The heart is one of the most vital organs within the human body. It acts as a pump that circulates oxygen and nutrient carrying blood around the body in order to keep it functioning. The circulated blood also removes waste products generated from the body to the kidneys. When the body is exerted the rate at which the heart beats will vary proportional to the amount of effort being exerted. By detecting the voltage created by the beating of the heart, its rate can be easily observed and used for a number of health purposes.An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphical trace of the voltage produced by the heart. A sample trace of a typical ECG output for a single beat is shown below. There are 5 identifiable features in an ECG trace which corresponds to different polarization stages that makes up a heartbeat. These deflections are denoted by the letters P, Q, R, S and T.