All you need to know about ECG paper

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a procedure for measuring the electrical activity of the heart. It is detected via the electrode attached to the surface of the skin and recorded by the ECG machine. The ECG machine prints the electrical impulses of the heart onto the ECG paper for interpretation and diagnosis by healthcare professionals.

What type of paper is used for ECG paper

A type of paper known as thermal paper is used to manufacture ECG paper. The thermal paper consists of 4 layers which are base paper, pre-coat, back-coat and thermal coat. The base paper is the wood pulp, covered by a pre-coat, filling the spaces between fibres for smooth printing. The back coat is added to reflect heat and prevent curling. The thermal coat is the final layer responsible for producing the image when heated. It is made from a compound such as leuco dyes, developers and sensitizers.

What features determine a good quality ECG paper?

There are the factors to consider when choosing an ECG paper.

1. Die-cutting – it should be clear, free of dust and without burr. This ensures there will be no paper jamming and damage to the print head.
2. Sensor mark & gridlines – uneven printing of sensor marks and gridlines will make the diagnosis harder due to inaccurate representation of time and voltage. The uneven sensor mark will also cause the inconsistency of tracing the results on the paper.
3. Image density – it should be dark and vivid. As the results trace is in milliseconds, white patches will affect the accuracy and readability.
4. Long image durability – with regulation that requires healthcare professional to document test results, it is necessary to have the record last at 7 to 10 years.
5. Z-Fold packaging – tightly shrink-wrapped and neatly aligned with no disjoint from one sheet to the next. This ensures easy continuous printing and also protects it from dust and water.
6. Roll packaging – tight shrink wrap with a free-end roll and a strong core. This will retain the shape and not cause the paper to crumple to prevent paper jam.
   

What is the measurement of ECG paper?

On ECG paper there are gridlines consisting of small squares making up a larger square. The small square is 1mm in length. 5 of the smaller squares vertically and horizontally make up a larger square which is 5mm in length in each direction. The paper functions as a graph where the vertical axis measures the heart’s electrical current, displayed by amplitude. The horizontal axis represents the time. Before recording and printing ECG results, usually, the printer will perform a calibration by sending a signal over a fraction of a second. This would show on the paper in a rectangular shape.

What are some of the common sizes of ECG Paper?

Telepaper Manufacture and Export ECG paper Globally

Tele-Paper is manufacturing and exporting a diverse selection of ECG papers and medical chart papers globally. With over 250 different types available, our papers have a lasting image durability of 5 to 10 years. Our paper meets the strict demands of the healthcare sector. For additional details, kindly visit our product page or click here.