The ECG is one of the most commonly used tests in medicine
2022-07-25
By Richard N. Fogoros
What Is an Electrocardiogram
The electrocardiogram, also referred to as ECG,is a non-invasive diagnostic test that evaluates your heart's electrical system to assess for heart disease. It uses flat metal electrodes placed on your chest to detect the electrical activity of your heart as it beats, which is then graphed.
Your healthcare provider can analyze the patterns to get a better understanding of your heart rate and heart rhythm, identify some types of structural heart disease, and evaluate cardiac efficiency.
Purpose of an EKG Test
An ECG detects your heart's electrical rhythm and produces what's known as a tracing, which looks like squiggly lines. This tracing consists of representations of several waves that recur with each heartbeat, about 60 to 100 times per minute. The wave pattern should have a consistent shape. If your waves are not consistent, or if they do not appear as standard waves, this is indicative of heart disease.
There are a variety of characteristic changes that occur with different heart problems, and your healthcare provider can look at your ECG wave patterns to see if they are suggestive of certain types of heart disease.
Many healthcare providers order an ECG as part of a yearly medical examination to screen for heart disease. This may apply to you if:
You have had heart disease or other heart problems in the past.
You have a medical condition that predisposes you to heart disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, or inflammatory disease.
You have other significant risk factors for cardiac disease.
Electrocardiography may also be recommended if you have signs or symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting spells. Likewise, if you have signs of a TIA or stroke, such as vision changes, numbness, weakness, or communication problems, you are also likely to need an ECG because some types of heart disease can cause a stroke.
If you have heart disease, you may need periodic ECG testing to evaluate whether your disease is worsening and to monitor the treatment effects of your heart medications.
An ECG is also required prior to any type of heart surgery, including surgery for pacemaker placement. A pre-operative ECG is also needed before any surgical procedure that involves general anesthesia because heart disease increases the risk of adverse events from anesthesia. The screening also helps your anesthesiologists as they plan your anesthetic medications and surgical monitoring.
Conditions
There are a number of conditions that can be detected when your healthcare provider checks your pulse, such as tachycardia (rapid heart rate), bradycardia (slow heart rate), and arrhythmia (irregular heart rate). EKG wave patterns can verify these alterations in your heart rhythm, and certain changes in the shape of the waves provides information about the specific type of heart disease and which region in the heart is affected.
Limitations
The ECG is one of the most commonly used tests in medicine because it can screen for a large variety of cardiac conditions, the machines are readily available in most medical facilities, the test is simple to perform, safe, and relatively inexpensive.
That said, an ECG has its limitations:
The ECG reveals the heart rate and rhythm only during the few seconds it takes to record the tracing. If an arrhythmia (heart rhythm irregularity) occurs only intermittently, an ECG might not pick it up, and ambulatory monitoring may be required.
The ECG is often normal or nearly normal with many types of heart disease, such as coronary artery disease.
Sometimes, abnormalities that appear on the ECG turn out to have no medical significance after a thorough evaluation is done.
Risks and Contraindications
ECG is a safe test that does not cause health complications. There are no medical conditions associated with any risks or adverse effects from an ECG.
What Is an Electrocardiogram
The electrocardiogram, also referred to as ECG,is a non-invasive diagnostic test that evaluates your heart's electrical system to assess for heart disease. It uses flat metal electrodes placed on your chest to detect the electrical activity of your heart as it beats, which is then graphed.
Your healthcare provider can analyze the patterns to get a better understanding of your heart rate and heart rhythm, identify some types of structural heart disease, and evaluate cardiac efficiency.
Purpose of an EKG Test
An ECG detects your heart's electrical rhythm and produces what's known as a tracing, which looks like squiggly lines. This tracing consists of representations of several waves that recur with each heartbeat, about 60 to 100 times per minute. The wave pattern should have a consistent shape. If your waves are not consistent, or if they do not appear as standard waves, this is indicative of heart disease.
There are a variety of characteristic changes that occur with different heart problems, and your healthcare provider can look at your ECG wave patterns to see if they are suggestive of certain types of heart disease.
Many healthcare providers order an ECG as part of a yearly medical examination to screen for heart disease. This may apply to you if:
You have had heart disease or other heart problems in the past.
You have a medical condition that predisposes you to heart disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, or inflammatory disease.
You have other significant risk factors for cardiac disease.
Electrocardiography may also be recommended if you have signs or symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting spells. Likewise, if you have signs of a TIA or stroke, such as vision changes, numbness, weakness, or communication problems, you are also likely to need an ECG because some types of heart disease can cause a stroke.
If you have heart disease, you may need periodic ECG testing to evaluate whether your disease is worsening and to monitor the treatment effects of your heart medications.
An ECG is also required prior to any type of heart surgery, including surgery for pacemaker placement. A pre-operative ECG is also needed before any surgical procedure that involves general anesthesia because heart disease increases the risk of adverse events from anesthesia. The screening also helps your anesthesiologists as they plan your anesthetic medications and surgical monitoring.
Conditions
There are a number of conditions that can be detected when your healthcare provider checks your pulse, such as tachycardia (rapid heart rate), bradycardia (slow heart rate), and arrhythmia (irregular heart rate). EKG wave patterns can verify these alterations in your heart rhythm, and certain changes in the shape of the waves provides information about the specific type of heart disease and which region in the heart is affected.
Limitations
The ECG is one of the most commonly used tests in medicine because it can screen for a large variety of cardiac conditions, the machines are readily available in most medical facilities, the test is simple to perform, safe, and relatively inexpensive.
That said, an ECG has its limitations:
The ECG reveals the heart rate and rhythm only during the few seconds it takes to record the tracing. If an arrhythmia (heart rhythm irregularity) occurs only intermittently, an ECG might not pick it up, and ambulatory monitoring may be required.
The ECG is often normal or nearly normal with many types of heart disease, such as coronary artery disease.
Sometimes, abnormalities that appear on the ECG turn out to have no medical significance after a thorough evaluation is done.
Risks and Contraindications
ECG is a safe test that does not cause health complications. There are no medical conditions associated with any risks or adverse effects from an ECG.
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