What is an EKG?
An electrocardiogram or EKG is a noninvasive test that shows the electrical activity of your heart. Every time your heart beats, an electrical impulse travels through the heart’s four chambers, following a specific path.
The electrical impulse must travel through the heart in a specific order to make the heart contract and push blood through and then out of your heart. An EKG provides an image of how the electric signal moves through your heart.
Based on your EKG results, your provider at Mmereole Health can determine if your heart rhythm is healthy, how long it takes the electrical signals to travel through the heart, and if areas of your heart are overworked and too large.
When might I need an EKG?
An EKG is typically the first diagnostic test doctors perform when patients have symptoms that suggest a heart problem. Mmereole Health offers EKGs in the office to:
- Determine the cause of chest pain
- Diagnose abnormal heart rhythms
- Diagnose inflammation of the heart or its lining
- Detect blocked or narrowed coronary arteries
- Identify damage to heart muscles and valves
- Get a baseline measurement of heart activity
- Assess how heart treatments are working
- Perform a preoperative heart workup
Health care providers can also use an EKG for routine screenings in patients who have a high risk of heart disease.
What should I expect during an EKG?
If you have body hair in the areas where electrodes need placement, your provider at Mmereole Health may shave the hair away from that specific spot to ensure the electrodes stick. Then they place 10-12 self-adhesive electrode patches to various places on your chest, arms, and legs.
Each electrode is connected to the EKG machine by a wire, and then the machine is turned on. The electrodes pick up electrical activity from your heart, send the information to the EKG machine, and it records the activity on paper.
The electrodes may feel cool when they’re first put on, but your EKG is painless and can be done while you lie back and relax.
If you develop chest pain or shortness of breath, call Mmereole Health, or schedule an appointment online for an EKG.
