Which term refers to recording of the heart's electrical pattern?

• A. Encephalitis
• B. Electrocardiogram
• C. Endarterectomy
• D. Efferent

Answer: (B)

Recording the heart's electrical activity is called electrocardiography, and the tracing you obtain is an electrocardiogram. The heart’s electrical impulses—generated as it depolarizes and repolarizes with each beat—are captured by skin electrodes and translated into a waveform that clinicians analyze for rhythm, rate, conduction abnormalities, and potential ischemia or damage. The other terms refer to different areas: encephalitis is inflammation of the brain; endarterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove plaque from an artery; efferent describes nerve fibers that carry signals away from the central nervous system.