The 17 Segment Model

Published on 06/02/2015 by admin

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Last modified 06/02/2015

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The 17 Segment Model

John C. Sciarra

(Update note: In the ancient history of the first edition, there were 16 segments. Apparently we have evolved a 17th segment!)

This chapter requires some artist skill. When I say some, I mean very little. If you can draw a line and a circle you are, for the purposes of this chapter, an artist.

The 17 segment model is the way we as doctors communicate which sections of the heart we are talking about. It is also a great tool for designing test questions. For example, the patient is a gunshot wound victim, and he has a hole in segment 8. What coronary artery is spurting blood? What leads on the ECG do you expect to see abnormalities? See what I mean? Well, I am not going to tell you the answer; you just have to read on—and draw. And draw you will. You will draw what I call:

“The 17 Segment Star”.

First off, draw a line. Just a straight line. As seen below this is a straight line.

Wow, that was not so bad. Now comes the tricky part. You have to add two more lines in a cross pattern as seen below. It kind of reminds me of an asterisk, or star. That’s you–an echo star!

Grip your pencil tightly because I am going to ask you to do something completely different. Draw a circle on top of your star.

Good job Picasso, you have drawn the basic foundation for the 17 segment model. Next we have to number the segments. Start in the lower left, inside the circle, and do 1 thru 6, as seen below.

Now start again outside the circle at the same lower left and do 7 thru 12. It should look like this. If you are not drawing at this point and just reading you are missing the point. Get out your pen and do it.

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