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Biology ECG Lab

The document outlines the procedure for recording an Electrocardiogram (ECG) using Lead I configuration with surface electrodes on the limbs. It details the instrumentation required, including an AD8232 ECG amplifier and oscilloscope, as well as the aims of the experiment, which include recording the ECG and analyzing the data. Additionally, it discusses the importance of electrode gel for reducing contact impedance and ensuring a clear signal.

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tushar12jeevjee
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14 views

Biology ECG Lab

The document outlines the procedure for recording an Electrocardiogram (ECG) using Lead I configuration with surface electrodes on the limbs. It details the instrumentation required, including an AD8232 ECG amplifier and oscilloscope, as well as the aims of the experiment, which include recording the ECG and analyzing the data. Additionally, it discusses the importance of electrode gel for reducing contact impedance and ensuring a clear signal.

Uploaded by

tushar12jeevjee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1 Electrocardiogram - Instrumentation

and Recording

Introduction
The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. It is
performed using surface electrodes placed on the limbs. In this lab we will use Lead I
configuration of the ECG.
The ECG will be recorded using bipolar (or differential) recording between the Left
Arm (LA) and the Right Arm (RA), with the reference ground connected to the Right
Leg (RL). The electrical activity of the heart can be regarded as a current dipole that
changes in magnitude and direction during each heart beat, or cardiac cycle. This time
varying cardiac dipole is called the cardiac vector.

ECG leads
There are many different ways to place the ECG electrodes on the body, and each of
them gives a different view of the cardiac vector; therefore, the lead vector is given by
the placement of the electrodes.
The ECG is usually measured as the potential difference between two points on the
body, with reference to a third point which may be regarded as the measurement ground
(or Gnd). Such recording is referred to as differential or bipolar recording. The most
common recording configuration is the set of Primary leads. Electrodes are placed be-
tween two limbs, and the right leg (RL) is taken as the reference. In this lab we will use
Lead I configuration, with the Left Arm (LA) as the positive input signal, and the Right
Arm (RA) as the negative input terminal. This is shown in Fig.1.1. The input stage of
the recording system is an Instrumentation Amplifier which is made of OpAmps. The
signal is usually contaminated by noise and therefore, a highpass filter and lowpass filter
are used to remove the noise.

Electrodes and electrode-tissue interface


The potential measured is on the order of 1 millivolt, and is picked up using conductive
electrodes. The electrodes are usually metal, but can also be conductive polymers or
carbon, or any suitable conductor. The contact impedance between the electrodes and
the body is quite high due to the epidermis of the skin. The high impedance can result in
noisy signal recording, and therefore, the impedance is reduced by the use of conductive,

1
CHAPTER 1. ELECTROCARDIOGRAM - INSTRUMENTATION AND
AIMS RECORDING

Figure 1.1: Schematic of recording the ECG in Lead I configuration

electrolytic gel placed between the electrode and the skin. The conductive gel is usually
made of agar soaked in saline (NaCl solution).

Aims
1. To record the ECG and view it on the oscilloscope.
2. To transfer 10 seconds of the recorded data from the oscilloscope to a computer for
further analysis.
3. To experimentally determine the frequency response of the AD8232 based ECG
amplifier.

Experimental Procedure
ECG recording uses an Instrumentation Amplifier followed by filters to remove unwanted
frequencies (“noise”) .
In this lab we will use a circuit based on AD8232 with the board containing the IC
and capacitors and resistors fully assembled.

Material Required
1. Circuit board using AD8232 single chip ECG amplifier, battery and connector.
2. Oscilloscope

Experiment to perform
Recording the ECG
The AD8232 based ECG amplifier is shown in Fig.1.2. Make the connections to the limbs
as shown in Fig.1.1. Remove the electrodes and stick them on the limbs. The circuit will

2
CHAPTER 1. ELECTROCARDIOGRAM - INSTRUMENTATION AND
RECORDING PRELIMINARY REPORT

be powered by a single Li-Ion battery. Connect the battery to the board with the white
3-pin connector.
Connect the oscilloscope probe to the output wire on the same white 3-pin connector.
Connect the “ground” of the oscilloscope probe to the common “gnd” wire (black wire)
of the 3-pin connector.

Figure 1.2: AD8232 based ECG amplifier showing connections to power supply, elec-
trodes and output

Oscilloscope settings

Using a sweep time of 1 s/div, and a vertical sensitivity of 0.1V/div, observe the ECG.
Wait for some time for the waveform to be steady.
The recorded ECG will look like the waveform shown in Fig.1.3. The main components
of the ECG are labelled as P-Q-R-S-T.
The wave “P” corresponds to the excitation of the atria in the heart (“atrial depolar-
ization”).
The wave “R” corresponds to the excitation of the ventricles, and “Q” and “S” are the
transitions to and after the ventricular excitation. The complex QRS is often referred to
as the ventricular excitation (“ventricular depolarization”).
The wave “T” corresponds to the relaxation of the heart muscle (“re-polarization”).
Your ECG recording is likely to pick up 50Hz electromagnetic interference from the
mains and will then look like the waveform shown in Fig.
Save about 10 s of the data on the oscilloscope. Verify that the waveform contains
the main features of the ECG. Identify the “P” and “QRS” waves, and also the “T” if
possible. Note the time delay P-QRS and QRS-T.

Preliminary Report
1. What is the amplitude of the ECG in Lead I recording?

2. What is electrode gel, and why is it important?

3
CHAPTER 1. ELECTROCARDIOGRAM - INSTRUMENTATION AND
FINAL REPORT RECORDING

Figure 1.3: ECG waveform

Figure 1.4: ECG with 50Hz noise

Final Report
1. Show the ECG recording obtained in the lab. Label the different waves, including
noise, if any.

2. Calculate the heart rate from the ECG recording. Measure the amplitdue of the
R-wave. What is the duration of the QRS complex?

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