Heart rate (HR): measure of the frequency of cardiac cycles; expressed in beats per minute (BPM)

Determining Heart Rate
3-step approach:

• (1) Locate R wave that falls on or near thick line
• (2) Count # of thick lines until next R wave
• (3) Use “300-150-100-75-60-50” rule

Regular rhythms:

• If HR <100 BPM HR = (300) / (# large squares b/t cycles)
• If HR >100 BPM HR = (1500) / (# small square b/t cycles)

Irregular or bradycardic rhythms:

• HR = (# cycles over interval) x (# to get to 1 minute)
• Example:
• If 18 cycles occur over 6-second interval
• And, (6 seconds) x (10) = 60 seconds = 1 minute
• Then, HR = (22 cycles) x (18) = 108 BPM