As a reliable and convenient method for presenting calibration voltage and a horizontal and vertical reference frame for vectorcardiogram, there has been developed a new technique which consists of superimposing a circle of 1 mV in radius and a cross orienting to the horizontal and vertical axis on vector loops.
A sinusoidal wave generated in a battery-operated Terman oscillator (Wien bridge) is divided by resistors and capacitors of the load into two waveforms having an equal amplitude (2 mV p-p) but a phase difference of 90 degrees between them. (The apparatus was manufactured for the trial by courtesy of Nihon Koden Co., Tokyo.) Each of the two outputs is fed through preamplifiers into the horizontal or vertical axis, respectively, of a vectorcardiograph equipped with three cathode ray oscilloscopes. If gains of both of the horizontal and vertical axes are exactly equal, as required for recording vector loop, a circle is expected to be observed on the vectorcardiograph, and if not an ellipse. Accordingly, adjustment of gains will be fairly easy and exact.
By grounding input of one axis and feeding the above-described sinusoidal wave (2 mV p-p) to another, a vertical or horizontal line, a segment, is observed. Vector loops, the circles and the horizontal and vertical segments are superimposed upon each other on picture. Superimposing process is carried out by repeating exposure without winding up the film, or by flashing the beam of cathode ray oscilloscope each time for each of the component, keeping the diaphragm of camera open.
The vectorcardiogram thus recorded has the following advantages : 1) It makes easy and direct visualization of the amplitude of vector loops. 2) The circles also serve as a reliable standard for accurate measurement of the amplitude of loops. 3) It gives a reliable frame of horizontal and vertical axes for determining direction of the initial or maximal axes.
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