A suggestion for unification of present limb lead systems into a single "F" lead system.
In this paper it is intended to unify the standard lead and the augmented unipolar limb lead (aV lead) system into a single lead system. Viewing from the angle of lead axes, the standard leads and the aV leads are not only reflecting the frontal plane vector, but are also actually complementary to each other. By now it has become quite obvious that they not only can, but also should be unified into a single system. Viewing these six leads (from standard lead and aV lead systems), starting from aVL, lead I, reversed aVR, lead II, aVF to lead III, an arc including approximately 150 degrees is formed. It is suggested that this unified system may be called "F" system with each of the above leads renamed as F1-F6 leads, respectively, since they are all reflecting the vectors of the frontal plane. In this F-lead system each lead is approximately 30 degrees apart. If such a system would be adopted it is only necessary to time the amplitude of the P, QRS and T of aV lead by 1.15 (a figure calculated by vector analysis). If this suggestion is widely adopted there will be only a F lead system for the frontal vectors and the present V system for the "horizontal" vectors in the electrocardiogram.
Department III, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
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Huang
D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans