The key to an accurate EKG printout is a clear connection
from the body’s internal ionic currents to the EKG machine’s onboard computer.
The better the connection the more reliable and precise the EKG will be. A key
component of this connection are the electrodes placed on the patients body. Medical electrodes transfer the energy of ionic currents in the
body into electrical currents that can be amplified, studied, and used to help
make diagnoses. Electrodes use the body’s ionic currents and quantify them to
yeild an ordinarily non-invasive test for a variety of nervous, muscular,
ocular, cardiac, and other types of disorders that might otherwise have
required surgical means to verify their presence. There are three main parts to
an electrode consisting of a lead, a metal electrode, and electrode-conducting
paste or gel for surface electrodes. There is also often a metal snap for the
lead to snap into place so that the electrode can be disposable while the lead
can be reused. Electrodes can a seperated into three main catagories: disposable
electrodes, reusable disc electrodes, headbands, and saline-based electrodes.
