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ECG
Also known as EKG, Electrocardiogram, Heart tracing
An ECG records the heart's electrical activity through stickers placed on the chest and limbs, printing it as a tracing. It takes a few minutes, is painless and involves no radiation, and it is the first test in chest pain, palpitations and blackouts.
In Cardiology
Each heartbeat begins as an electrical impulse that spreads through the muscle in a set order. Those currents reach the skin, and ten electrodes pick them up from twelve different angles — which is why a standard test is called a twelve-lead ECG. The result is a picture of the heart's electrical behaviour from twelve viewpoints, and abnormalities in particular leads point to particular parts of the heart.
How the test is done
You lie down, the chest is exposed and sometimes shaved in patches so the stickers make contact, and ten electrodes are attached to the chest, wrists and ankles. Lie still and breathe normally for about ten seconds while the recording is taken. Nothing is passed into the body and nothing is felt. The whole appointment usually takes five to ten minutes, and the tracing can be read immediately.
An ECG shows an in progress, the electrical signature of a heart attack happening now or one that happened years ago, a thickened heart muscle, strain from a clot in the lung, and the effects of an abnormal potassium or calcium — which is why it is done in disturbance too.
Where this comes up
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Related terms
- ArrhythmiaDysrhythmia, Irregular heartbeatAn arrhythmia is a heartbeat that is too fast, too slow or irregular because the heart's electrical signalling has gone wrong. Some are harmless and lifelong, others raise the risk of stroke or are immediately dangerous.
- AnginaAngina pectoris, Cardiac chest painAngina is chest discomfort that appears when the heart muscle is not receiving enough blood, typically brought on by exertion or emotion and eased within minutes by rest. It is a warning that a coronary artery has narrowed, rather than a heart attack in itself.
- PalpitationsPalpitations are an awareness of your own heartbeat — racing, thumping, fluttering or seeming to skip. Most are harmless, but the pattern and the company they keep decide whether they need investigating.
- EchocardiogramEcho, Cardiac ultrasoundAn echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart that shows the chambers and valves moving in real time and measures how strongly the heart pumps. It uses sound waves only, with no radiation and no injection in the standard test.