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  • General

    Basic Electrocardiogram (ECG) For Beginners

     

     

    Instructor(s): Dev Nath Kaushal

    Course Synopsis

    This course is designed for beginner level healthcare students and healthcare personnel to get a head start on understanding, analysing and interpreting basic electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythms. The course starts by providing participants with an overview of the heart's anatomy, physiology and electrophysiology in relation to the ECG rhythm. It also meets the needs of participants who desire the ability to systematically analyse and interpret basic ECG rhythms originating from various anatomical locations within the heart.

    By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

    • Describe the heart anatomy and physiology in relation to the electrical conducting system.
    • Describe the responsibilities when preparing a patient for and performing a 12-lead ECG.
    • Apply a systematic approach in analysing basic ECG rhythms.
    • Analyse and identify basic ECG rhythms propagated by various locations within the heart.

    Disclosure

    Our Basic ECG for Beginners OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a comprehensive and FREE educational resource. No form of financial revenue is generated from this resource or its materials.

    Our materials are free to be reproduced for educational purposes, provided:

    • the materials used are credited to UNIMAS OCW or the author(s);
    • the teaching activity is on a not-for-profit basis and;
    • the images and/or materials are not otherwise labelled as belonging to a third party.

    We endeavor to continuously expand and improve on the content of tis OCW. As such, we welcome constructive feedback and input from experts in the field. If you wish to contribute your ideas and suggestions, please feel free to contact us at simtraining.unimas@gmail.com.

    Creative Commons LicenseThis OpenCourseWare@UNIMAS and its related materials are licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

  • Learning Unit 1

    Before embarking on the technicalities of the ECG, you first would have had some basic understanding of the heart and its conduction system.

    This unit reviews the basic anatomy and electrophysiology which forms the base for progressing towards ECG rhythm analysis and interpretation.

    • Note:
      1. Follow the link(s) provided below to access the learning materials for this unit.
      2. Click on the "click to read" button in the centre of the flipbook to enter into full screen mode.

    • Checkpoint Question(s)
      • Reflect on the lesson you just completed.
      • State the main anatomic structure of the heart.
      • Discuss the pathway of the systemic and pulmonary circulation.
      • What are the anatomical structures concerned with the heart's conduction system?
      • Describe the heart's electrical conduction pathway in relation to the ECG wave.

           

      • The right side of the heart is mainly concerned with receiving deoxygenated blood from the whole body and then, pumping it to the lungs for gaseous exchange.
      • The left side of the heart on the other hand receives newly oxygenated blood from the lungs and distributes it to the entire body for cellular respiration.
      • This gives rise to a continuous circulatory cycle which consists of the systemic and pulmonary circulatory circuits.


    • Here are some useful reference materials from external sources.

      Note: The author(s) of this OpenCourseWare does not own any of the materials posted in this section. Credit goes to the individual author(s) or owner(s) of the materials posted.

    • The Cardiac Cycle

       

    • Cardiac Conduction System and Its Relationship with the ECG