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(Circulation. 1996;93:837-839.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Recommendations for Safe Current Limits for Electrocardiographs

A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Committee on Electrocardiography, American Heart Association

Michael M. Laks, MD, Chair; Robert Arzbaecher, PhD; James J. Bailey, MD; David B. Geselowitz, PhD; Alan S. Berson, PhD

	Introduction

 
The release of a revised American National Standard¹ that permits an increase in current limits purported to be safe makes it urgent that the American Heart Association review its recommendations regarding safety and electrical shock hazards for electrocardiographs. These recommendations cover two aspects of electrical safety. The first is the level of current allowable in any patient-connected lead that may flow through the myocardium without inducing ventricular fibrillation. The second is the allowable chassis leakage current that may flow from the electrocardiograph to ground, passing through patient or operator. These recommendations for safe current limits reaffirm the levels of allowable current established for patient-connected leads and revise the amount of allowable chassis leakage current established in previous AHA recommendations.

	Current in Patient-Connected Leads

 
Recommendation: The electrocardiographic (ECG) or vectorcardiographic apparatus shall be designed so that no more than 10 µA root mean square, from direct current to the tenth harmonic of power line frequency, shall flow through any patient-connected lead under either normal or single-fault conditions.

Justification: In 1972 the AHA, in an amendment to its 1967 report,² recommended an upper limit of 10 µA for current between any patient electrode and either power line ground or the accessible part of the electrocardiograph. The concept of a single fault was introduced to define the occasional failure of one component of the ECG equipment, an error in power distribution connections, or a wiring error on the part of the operator. The AHA recommended that the 10 µA limit not be exceeded, even in . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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