Flatline

For other uses, see Flatline (disambiguation).
Flatlined ECG lead

A flatline is an electrical time sequence measurement that shows no activity and therefore, when represented, shows a flat line instead of a moving one. It almost always refers to either a flatlined electrocardiogram, where the heart shows no electrical activity[1] (asystole), or to a flat electroencephalogram, in which the brain shows no electrical activity (brain death). Both of these specific cases are involved in various definitions of death.

  1. ^ Merchant RM, Topjian AA, Panchal AR, Cheng A, Aziz K, Berg KM, et al. (October 2020). "Part 1: Executive Summary: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care". Circulation. 142 (16_suppl_2): S337–S357. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000918. PMID 33081530. S2CID 224824546.