ECG artefact on EEG

Cardiac artefact · Artefacts

Regular sharp transients that line up exactly with each QRS in the ECG channel. Simulated trace, longitudinal bipolar channels. Open in the interactive viewer

What it looks like

Small sharp transients time-locked to the QRS complex, most obvious over the left temporal region and in referential montages, and in patients with short, wide necks. ¹¹

What it means at the bedside

Regular periodic sharp waves are either cardiac or cerebral. That is what the ECG channel is for; record it on every EEG.

ArtefactPeriodic

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Sources

Britton JW, et al. Electroencephalography (EEG): An Introductory Text and Atlas of Normal and Abnormal Findings in Adults, Children, and Infants. American Epilepsy Society, 2016 (free, NCBI Bookshelf). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390354/

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