Introduction:
As a biomedical engineering student, I've always been intrigued by the phenomenal medical technologies that exist today. Many of these medical technologies were created earlier in the years and have advanced to possess several beneficial features and serve an essential role in the medical field today. One of these medical technologies is the Electrocardiogram, commonly referred to as ECG. Willem Einthoven was a Dutch doctor who invented the first practical electrocardiogram in 1903. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1924 for his revolutionizing contribution to the medical field. An electrocardiogram is a device that records the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time. This is done through the use of leads or electrodes that are placed on the body to detect small electrical changes on the skin that are a result of the heart returning back from it's contracted state after each heartbeat. Prior to Einthoven's time, it was known that heartbeats produced electrical signals but no instrument could measure this without placing electrodes directly on the heart. In this paper I will explore the rise of the ECG. I will start off with a brief description of the anatomy and importance of the heart muscle. I will then proceed to explain the significance and purpose of the ECG and then continue to describe how Willem Einthoven went about creating the first ECG. Understanding the origin of the ECG is essential as they are currently used and relied on heavily by physicians and others in the medical field. They provide us with convenient, efficient, and accurate insight into the health of a patient's heart.
Outline:
Part 1: Anatomy of basic cardiology to ensure reader can understand the information to follow
Point a: Include the location and function of anatomy of heart (Right atria, right ventricle, left atria, left ventricle etc)
Point b: Tie in blood flow pathway in the heart, nodes, and signals (AV node, SA Node, perkinji fibers etc)
Point c: Talk about electrical signal conduction and introduce terms diastole and systole and how that corresponds to contraction and relaxation of cardiac muscle.
Part 2: Talk about the mechanics of what an ECG is as well as the purpose it serves
Point a: Introduce the ECG signal wave and explain the significance of the p wave, QRS complex, and t wave in terms of cardiac relaxation and contraction
Point b: Talk about the current ECG's that exist in hospitals and the current healthcare market.
Point c: Talk about why ECG's are important, what purpose they serve to doctors and how the have helped the lives of cardiac patients
Part 3: Introduce Willem Einthoven
Point a: Brief description of his family and historical background
Point b: Brief description of his education background and how he got into cardiac research
Point c: Segue into his string galvanometer design
Part 4: Elaborate on Einthoven's initial design of the ECG using the string -galvanometer and it's application
Point a: Describe what the string galvanometer looked like and the components of it
Point b: Talk about the mechanism used for it to function
Point c: Include images of the design and talk about how Einthoven made this all come together in one device, as well as his testing and experiments
Part 5: Explain how Einthoven went about modifying his initial design and talk about the ultimate improvement of the string-galvanometer
Point a: Describe the faults in the initial design and limitations
Point b: Describe the changes made to improve these faults
Point c: Talk about how and why he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1924
Conclusion: I will summarize the main points from Parts 1-5 and end with a statement that ties the importance of cardiology into history.
Bibliography:
1) Primary sources:
- Snellen, H. A. : Two pioneers of electrocardiography : the correspondence between Einthoven and Lewis from 1908-1926 / H.A. Snellen. Rotterdam : Donker Academic Publications, c1983.
2) Secondary sources:
- Snellen, H. A. : Willem Einthoven (1860-1927) : father of electrocardiography : life and work, ancestors and contemporaries / H.A. Snellen. Dordrecht ; Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, c1995.
- Goy, Jean-Jacques, Staufer, Jean-Christophe, and Schlaepfer, Jürg, eds. Electrocardiography (ECG). Sharjah, ARE: Bentham Science Publishers, 2013.
- "Willem Einthoven - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 20 Apr 2015. https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1924/einthoven-bio.html> "Willem Einthoven".