heart block
Medical term EKG and Cardiovascular Testing
An interruption in the heart's normal electrical conduction pathway, such as an AV block.
Related terms
- diastoleThe phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill.
- dysrhythmiaAn abnormal heart rhythm; also called arrhythmia.
- electrocardiogramA tracing of the heart's electrical activity recorded from electrodes on the skin.
- electrodeA sensor placed on the skin that picks up the heart's electrical signals for the EKG.
- Holter monitorA portable EKG recorder worn during normal activity, usually for 24 to 48 hours (Merck: 24 hours to 14 days).
- isoelectric lineThe flat baseline on an EKG when no electrical activity is recorded.
- leadA view of the heart's electrical activity, recorded as the voltage difference between electrodes; the word…
- limb leadsThe six frontal-plane views of a 12-lead EKG: leads I, II and III and the augmented leads aVR, aVL and aVF.
Study EKG and Cardiovascular Testing