Medical Malpractice

What do you call those things in hospitals?

You know those screens that show the person's heart rate? They are in hospitals and if the person's heart stops it has a flat line and a long beeping noise. The name of it is right on the tip of my tongue, I just can't seem to put my finger on it! Any ideas? And while I'm asking, does anybody know where I can get a GIF (or any kind of animation) of one? I'm making a movie for my art project and we need it. Thanks a lot! :) And yes, I am very aware it's in the wrong category.

Public Comments

1. An oscilloscope. I don't know what a GIF is though.
2. A heart monitor perhaps?
3. ' cathode ray osclliloscopes ' precisely... ;)
4. See the Wikipedia article on electrocardiography [1]. Down in the Waves and Intervals section there's a GIF animation [2].
5. The screen is a monitor, the device is a EKG or electrocardiogram. Or heart monitor. Here is a nice long one. Check on the others if they serve your purpose better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N4viIanngg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL5EB5CD65FCC3C621
6. Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG). A nice heart-rate monitor GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) at the second link below.
7. Those machines where the flat line comes on are only used in movies and tv. In reality you wouldn't see such a machine in a hospital. They are called electrocardiographs and measure electrical activity in the heart and brain. There are usually up to 12 electrodes fitted and unlike the movies they draw lines on graph paper on a roll. If on a screen there is no record so it would be useless. In the event of a flat line it can signify a variety of things:- 1 a lead has become disconnected (usual cause) 2 the machine is not picking up a signal 3 possible death. In the case of death signified by a flat line it is not usual to try to resuscitate a patient, certainly not with those electrodes placed on the chest. They are only ever used for irregular heartbeats and cannot start a stopped heart. Once the line goes flat, when death has occurred sometimes pressure is applied to the chest but usually the patient is left alone. Too many movies and TV shows give the impression that people can be brought back to life with an electric shock but that's just Hollywood getting it wrong again.