Electrocardiogram

Overview

What is an Electrocardiogram?

An EKG is one of the simplest and fastest procedures used to evaluate the heart. Electrodes (small, plastic patches) are placed at certain locations on your chest, arms, and legs. When the electrodes are connected to the EKG machine by lead wires, the electrical activity of your heart is measured, interpreted, and printed out for the physician's information and further interpretation.

There are additional EKG procedures that are more involved than the basic EKG. For information on these tests, see exercise EKG, Holter monitor, and signal-average EKG.

Reasons for the Procedure

As previously mentioned, some reasons for your physician to request an EKG include, but are not limited to, the following:

• to determine the cause of chest pain
  
  
• to evaluate other signs and symptoms which may be heart-related, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting, etc.
  
  
• to identify irregular heartbeats
  
  
• to determine the status of the heart prior to other procedures such as surgery
  
  
• to assess the function of an implanted pacemaker
  
  
• to determine the effectiveness of certain heart medications
  
  
• to assess the heart status after treatment for conditions such as pericarditis, endocarditis (inflammation or infection of one or more of the heart valves), congestive heart failure, etc.
  

Risks of the Procedure

No known risks.

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