3D ECG Leads 2.0

Why 3D ECG Leads?

An ECG Lead Placement Guide

Inaccurate placement of ECG leads can result in erroneous diagnoses and may lead to unnecessary further investigations or treatments (Jowett et al., 2005; Toosi and Sochanski, 2008; Harrigan, Chan and Brady, 2012; Ilg and Lehmann, 2012; Lynch, 2014). A study by Medani et al. (2018) revealed that correct placement of ECG chest leads was achieved in merely 34% of the evaluated cases.

It is essential for all medical personnel operating a 12 Lead ECG machine to receive adequate training on ECG lead placement (Kligfield et al., 2007; Crawford and Doherty, 2010). The introduction of 3D ECG Leads is intended not to supplant high-quality training but to serve as an ancillary tool that visually demonstrates the Standard Lead Placement Technique in an accessible 3D interactive format.

An ECG Leads Visualisation Tool

In a standard 12 Lead ECG tracing, the leads are not always arranged in an anatomical order. A recent study by Lindow et al. (2019) emphasizes that displaying all twelve ECG leads in anatomical sequence can positively impact the diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction. The 3D ECG Leads tool provides an interactive means for anatomically visualizing the proper arrangement of ECG leads.

Why Only 10 Leads? How an ECG Lead is Generated.

With 3D ECG Leads, users can gain insight into how an ECG machine interprets the heart's electrical activity and understand the process through which three electrodes generate six leads.

References

• Crawford, J. and Doherty, L. (2010) “Ten steps to recording a standard 12-lead ECG,” Practice Nursing, 21(12). doi: 10.12968/pnur.2010.21.12.622.
• Harrigan, R. A., Chan, T. C. and Brady, W. J. (2012) “Electrocardiographic electrode misplacement, misconnection, and artifact,” Journal of Emergency Medicine. Elsevier Ltd, 43(6). doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.02.024.
• Ilg, K. J. and Lehmann, M. H. (2012) “Importance of recognizing pseudo-septal infarction due to electrocardiographic lead misplacement,” American Journal of Medicine. Elsevier Inc., 125(1). doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.04.023.
• Jowett, N. I. et al. (2005) “Modified electrode placement must be recorded when performing 12-lead electrocardiograms,” Postgraduate Medical Journal, 81(952). doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2004.021204.
• Kligfield, P. et al. (2007) “Recommendations for the Standardization and Interpretation of the Electrocardiogram: Part I: The Electrocardiogram and Its Technology A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Electrocardiography and Arrhythmias Committee, Council on Clin,” Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Elsevier, 49(10). doi: 10.1016/J.JACC.2007.01.024.
• Lindow, T. et al. (2019) “Why complicate an important task? An orderly display of the limb leads in the 12-lead electrocardiogram and its implications for recognition of acute coronary syndrome,” BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12872-018-0979-x.
• Lynch, R. (2014) “ECG lead misplacement: A brief review of limb lead misplacement,” African Journal of Emergency Medicine, African Federation for Emergency Medicine, 4(3). doi: 10.1016/j.afjem.2014.05.006.
• Medani, S. A. et al. (2018) “Accuracy in precordial ECG lead placement: Improving performance through a peer-led educational intervention,” Journal of Electrocardiology, Elsevier Inc., 51(1). doi: 10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2017.04.018.
• Toosi, M. S. and Sochanski, M. T. (2008) “False ST elevation in a modified 12-lead surface electrocardiogram,” Journal of Electrocardiology, 41(3). doi: 10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2007.11.004.