Basics: Difference between revisions
→The ECG is a sum of the action potentials from millions of cardiomyocytes
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As the impulse spreads through the heart, the electric field changes continually in size and direction. The ECG is a graphical visualisation of these electric signals in the heart. | As the impulse spreads through the heart, the electric field changes continually in size and direction. The ECG is a graphical visualisation of these electric signals in the heart. | ||
=The ECG | =The ECG represents the sum of the action potentials of millions of cardiomyocytes= | ||
{| class="wikitable" align="right" width=385px font-size="70%" | {| class="wikitable" align="right" width=385px font-size="70%" | ||
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!<flash>file=Single_cardiomyocyte.swf|width=382|height=315|quality=best|align=right||</flash> | !<flash>file=Single_cardiomyocyte.swf|width=382|height=315|quality=best|align=right||</flash> | ||
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| This movie shows the contraction of a single (rabbit) | | This movie shows the contraction of a single (rabbit) heart cell. The glass electrode measures the electrical current in the heart cell (with the[[w:Patch_clamp|patch-clamp method]]). The electrical signal is written in blue and shows the actionpotential. ''Courtesy of Arie Verkerk and Antoni van Ginneken, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands''. | ||
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