What is a 6-Lead ECG?
ECG, or electrocardiogram, is the graphical representation of the electrical activity of the heart. It can detect certain cardiovascular pathologies.
With each heartbeat, an electrical wave travels through your heart. This wave causes your heart to contract and pump blood.
An ECG lead is a direction along which one measures the voltage field created by the electrical activity of the heart. Thanks to the Withings Scan Monitor 2.0 technology, Withings Body Scan records 6 leads of the ECG, each of them being a representation of the electrical activity of the heart along one direction in the body. This is done by measuring leads II and III using a set of three electrodes (two located on the handle and one integrated into the glass of the scale) and computing the remaining leads: I, aVL, aVR, aVF.
Figure 1: Representation of the measuring sites (colored points) and ECG leads as measured (blue) and computed (green).
Figure 2: Representation of the ECG leads and their corresponding angles referred to the horizontal axis.
What do practitioners look for in the ECG graph?
A normal ECG graph will show the time sequence of the excitation and relaxation of different parts of your heart by the electric wave. There are 3 distinct patterns:
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First wave: the "P wave"
The graph shows a first electric wave as electricity excites the right and left upper chambers of your heart: the atria. -
Next wave: the "QRS Complex"
This second pattern shows electricity exciting the right and left bottom chambers of your heart: the ventricles. -
Final wave: the "T wave"
The final wave represents the electrical recovery (or return to a resting state) of the ventricles. By measuring time intervals on an ECG, practitioners can find out if this electricity travel is too slow, normal, too fast, or even irregular. Such indicators can point to an oversized, overworked or dysfunctional heart.
Which conditions can the Withings Scan Monitor 2.0 detect on your Body Scan?
ECGs can detect a range of conditions, from angina pectoris (sometimes simply called angina) to severe heart attacks. Withings Scan Monitor 2.0 focus on detecting atrial fibrillation. If you believe you are having a heart attack, please contact emergency services.
What are the various results I can get from an ECG recording?
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Normal Sinus Rhythm A Normal Sinus Rhythm result means your heart rate is beating regularly between 50 and 99 bpm and there are no signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). |
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Atrial Fibrillation An AFib result indicates that the heart rate is between 50 and 99 bpm and is beating irregularly. AFib occurs when the two upper chambers of the heart move randomly instead of pumping regularly. This does not allow for complete emptying of the chambers and consequently blood may become stagnant and create blood clots. If you receive this reading, please get in touch with your doctor. |
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Inconclusive An Inconclusive result means that the signal cannot be classified as Sinus Rhythm or AFib, although the quality of the recording is good. This may be due to various conditions, including but not limited to other arrhythmias or other heart conditions. Click here for more information of the causes of an inconclusive recording and what you can do to improve your results. Please talk to your doctor if you receive an inconclusive ECG recording. |
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Noise - Inconclusive This recording can’t be classified. This can happen for many reasons, such as moving or talking during the measurement which can cause signal interference. Also, this recording may show signs of other arrhythmias or heart conditions that the app is not designed to recognize. Click here for more information of the causes of an Noise - Inconclusive recording and what you can do to improve your results. |
Notes:
- If you have questions about your ECG recording, please talk to your doctor.
- If you encounter issues with your ECG recordings, click here.
Important: If you think you may be having a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or are facing a medical emergency, call emergency services.