Heart 3: ECG - Temperature
ECG Cable and Pulse Setup
- Plug the red, black and green leads into the REACH color coded ports.
- Snap the leads onto the stickie electrodes, then place the stickie electrodes like this:
- The black lead goes under the right clavicle.
- The red lead goes on the lower left abdomen.
- The green (ground) lead goes on the lower right abdomen.
Make sure you snap the leads onto the stickie electrodes before putting them on yourself.
- Keep the REACH-DL flat on the table and rest your pointer or middle finger of your non-dominant hand on the pulse port. This is the hand you do not use all the time. Make sure your arm is flat on the table and your finger is relaxed.
- When you are ready to start recording data, just make sure the you relax and sit very still so there is no movement interference on the data.
The ECG and the Pulse in a Resting Subject
Aim
To measure ECG values and Heart Rate while resting.
Procedure
- While keeping your finger on the pulse port of the REACH-DL, use your other hand to click on the Record button.
- Click on the AutoScale button.
- Type "Resting ECG" in the Mark box and click the Mark button. This will make a black mark with text on your screen.
- Record for 5 minutes then click Stop.
- Click File ---> Save As, name the file "ECG-Temp", and save your data to your LabScribe Data folder on your Desktop.
Data Analysis
- Go to the beginning of your recording by clicking on the down arrow just to the right of the Mark Button and click the mark "Resting-ECG".
- Make sure to have at least 15 ECG cycles on screen. Double or half the display time by clicking the mountain icons once or twice.
- You will be moving the vertical red cursors into position by clicking and dragging on them to get them into the right locations.
- Place the cursors to measure the amplitudes (V2-V1) and time intervals (T2-T1) of the ECG/Pulse cycles.
- Use the mouse to click on and drag the cursors to specific points on the ECG/Pulse recording to measure the following:
- The R-wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the Q wave and the second cursor on the peak of the R wave. The value for V2-V1 on the ECG channel is the amplitude. Measure the amplitudes of 4 additional R waves. Calculate the mean amplitude by adding these together and then divide by 5.
- The Pulse wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the baseline that precedes the pulse wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave. The value for V2-V1 on the Pulse channel is this amplitude. Measure this amplitude for 4 additional pulse waves and then calculate the mean.
- The beat period, which is the time interval between two adjacent R waves. To measure the beat period, place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the adjacent R wave. The value for T2-T1 is the beat period. Measure the beat period for 4 additional pairs of R waves and then calculate the mean.
- The R-Pulse interval, which is the time interval between the peak of the R wave and the peak of the pulse wave. Place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave to its right. The value for T2-T1 is this interval. Measure this interval for 4 additional ECG/Pulse cycles and then calculate the mean.
- Determine your average heart rate.
- Click the "two-mountain" icon to double the display time to show the entire 5 minutes of data. You may have to click it a few times.
- Once you can see all your data, move the cursors to either side of the recording.
- Look at the right side of the Heart Rate channel and read the MEAN value of your resting Heart Rate.
Reset Your Display Time - In the display time box, type 10 and click enter. This will reset your display time to 10 seconds for Exercise 2.
Note - Write all your values on a data table so you can refer back to them when answering the questions.
The ECG and Cold Temperature
Aim
To measure the effects of cold on the pulse and heart rate.
Procedure
- After finishing Exercise 1, sit comfortably and place an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables (like corn or peas) on the your forearm (you may have to rest your arm on the ice pack so you can maintain contact with the pulse sensor correctly). You will keep this on your arm for 5 minutes while collecting data.
- Click Record. Click AutoScale. While recording, type "Cold" in the Mark box and press the mark button.
- Click Stop after collecting data for 5 minutes with the cold pack on.
- Click Save to save your data.
Data Analysis
- Go to the beginning of this section of recording by clicking on the down arrow just to the right of the Mark Button and click the mark "Cold". This will bring you to when your started recording with the cold pack on your arm.
- Make sure to have at least 15 ECG cycles on screen. Double or half the display time by clicking the mountain icons once or twice.
- You will be moving the vertical red cursors into position by clicking and dragging on them to get them into the right locations.
- Place the cursors to measure the amplitudes (V2-V1) and time intervals (T2-T1) of the ECG/Pulse cycles.
- Use the mouse to click on and drag the cursors to specific points on the ECG/Pulse recording to measure the following:
- The R-wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the Q wave and the second cursor on the peak of the R wave. The value for V2-V1 on the ECG channel is the amplitude. Measure the amplitudes of 4 additional R waves. Calculate the mean amplitude by adding these together and then divide by 5.
- The Pulse wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the baseline that precedes the pulse wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave. The value for V2-V1 on the Pulse channel is this amplitude. Measure this amplitude for 4 additional pulse waves and then calculate the mean.
- The beat period, which is the time interval between two adjacent R waves. To measure the beat period, place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the adjacent R wave. The value for T2-T1 is the beat period. Measure the beat period for 4 additional pairs of R waves and then calculate the mean.
- The R-Pulse interval, which is the time interval between the peak of the R wave and the peak of the pulse wave. Place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave to its right. The value for T2-T1 is this interval. Measure this interval for 4 additional ECG/Pulse cycles and then calculate the mean.
- Determine your average heart rate.
- Click the "two-mountain" icon to double the display time to show the entire 5 minutes of data. You may have to click it a few times.
- Once you can see all your data, move the cursors to either side of the recording.
- Look at the right side of the Heart Rate channel and read the MEAN value of your resting Heart Rate.
Note - Write all your values on a data table so you can refer back to them when answering the questions.
You can open and close the Journal using the “Notebook” icon.
BEFORE MOVING ON TO EXERCISE 3 – Let your arm warm back up to room temperature. If not, the results will not be accurate.
The ECG and Hot Temperature
Aim
To measure the effects of heat on the pulse and heart rate.
Procedure
- After finishing Exercise 2, sit comfortably and place a very warm washcloth or heating pad on the your forearm (you may have to rest your arm on the heat so you can maintain contact with the pulse sensor correctly). You will keep this on your arm for 5 minutes while collecting data.
- Click Record. Click AutoScale. While recording, type "Hot" in the Mark box and press the mark button.
- Click Stop after collecting data for 5 minutes with the heat on.
- Click Save to save your data.
Data Analysis
- Go to the beginning of this section of recording by clicking on the down arrow just to the right of the Mark Button and click the mark "Hot". This will bring you to when your started recording with the heat on your arm.
- Make sure to have at least 15 ECG cycles on screen. Double or half the display time by clicking the mountain icons once or twice.
- You will be moving the vertical red cursors into position by clicking and dragging on them to get them into the right locations.
- Place the cursors to measure the amplitudes (V2-V1) and time intervals (T2-T1) of the ECG/Pulse cycles.
- Use the mouse to click on and drag the cursors to specific points on the ECG/Pulse recording to measure the following:
- The R-wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the Q wave and the second cursor on the peak of the R wave. The value for V2-V1 on the ECG channel is the amplitude. Measure the amplitudes of 4 additional R waves. Calculate the mean amplitude by adding these together and then divide by 5.
- The Pulse wave amplitude. Place one cursor on the baseline that precedes the pulse wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave. The value for V2-V1 on the Pulse channel is this amplitude. Measure this amplitude for 4 additional pulse waves and then calculate the mean.
- The beat period, which is the time interval between two adjacent R waves. To measure the beat period, place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the adjacent R wave. The value for T2-T1 is the beat period. Measure the beat period for 4 additional pairs of R waves and then calculate the mean.
- The R-Pulse interval, which is the time interval between the peak of the R wave and the peak of the pulse wave. Place one cursor on the peak of an R wave and the second cursor on the peak of the pulse wave to its right. The value for T2-T1 is this interval. Measure this interval for 4 additional ECG/Pulse cycles and then calculate the mean.
- Determine your average heart rate.
- Click the "two-mountain" icon to double the display time to show the entire 5 minutes of data. You may have to click it a few times.
- Once you can see all your data, move the cursors to either side of the recording.
- Look at the right side of the Heart Rate channel and read the MEAN value of your resting Heart Rate.
Note - Write all your values on a data table so you can refer back to them when answering the questions.
You can open and close the Journal using the “Notebook” icon.