EKG

What is an EKG?

An EKG is a simple, painless test health care professionals use to evaluate your heart’s electrical activity and rhythm. It’s typically the first procedure you undergo if you have symptoms of a heart condition.

During an EKG, small electrodes are stuck to your skin to detect the electrical signals your heart generates as it beats. The information goes to an electrocardiography machine that records the activity. It then converts the data into lines that appear on a screen or prints them on a paper graph.

Why would I need an EKG?

Your provider might perform an EKG for several reasons:

Cardiac symptom diagnosis

If you have symptoms that could indicate a heart condition, an EKG is a fast way to check for abnormalities. Signs that might indicate heart trouble include:

• Pounding/racing heartbeat (palpitations)
• Irregular heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Extreme fatigue
• Syncope (fainting)
• Reduced ability to exercise

You might need to undergo additional procedures, such as stress testing or Holter monitoring if the EKG doesn’t identify any problems.

Preventive medicine

Often, people don’t experience obvious symptoms. A routine EKG at your annual physical could pick up the start of a heart condition, enabling you to receive treatment before suffering permanent damage.

Surgery planning

If you require an operation, you’ll probably have an EKG beforehand to check your heart function and clear you for surgery.

Treatment monitoring

An EKG is a fast, straightforward way of checking how well treatments like medication or a pacemaker/implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) procedure work.

What can I expect from an EKG?

You lie on an exam table for a standard EKG, and your provider sticks small electrodes onto your body. Afterward, they remove the electrodes, and you go about your day as usual. Other EKG procedures include:

Stress testing

Stress testing involves exercising during your EKG.

Holter monitoring

Holter monitors are portable EKG devices that you wear at home. They record your heart’s activity continually for 24-48 hours. 

Event monitoring

An event monitor is similar to a Holter monitor but only records heart activity when you have symptoms.

You’ll likely need one or more of these procedures if a standard EKG doesn’t provide enough information for an accurate diagnosis.

Call The Heart Institute of Venice to learn more about EKGs, or book an appointment online today.