Electrocardiogram (EKG) Clinic Q&A

Electrocardiograms (EKG) tests are records of electrical activity found within the heart through small electrode patches that are attached to the skin of your chest, legs, and arms by one of our lab technicians. The primary care physician may refer you to get an electrogram, which is another electrocardiogram to check for any signs of heart disease.

Electrocardiograms are a safe, quick, and painless test that provides the ability to:

– Review your heart rhythms
– Check if the patient has poor blood flow to the heart
– Diagnose if you are having or will have a heart attack
– Review the information for any abnormalities
– Discover any significant electrolyte abnormalities including high potassium or low and high calcium

An electrocardiogram with the abbreviation of EKG is a test that measures how the electricity within a person’s heart is functioning. An electrograph with the abbreviation of ECG is the same thing. The only difference between the two is the fact there are two different names and abbreviations for the same exam and the fact that different practitioners will refer to the same test as an electrocardiogram (EKG) or an electrograph (ECG).

Our physicians will review all of the information that was recorded by the electrocardiogram machine and review for any issues that may be affecting the heart, some of these issues they look for include:

Heart rate
Your heart rate is measured by checking your pulse. However, an electrocardiogram can be quite helpful if the pulse is difficult to find, or is pulsing too quickly or irregular to count accurately.

Heart rhythm
An electrocardiogram will show the heart’s rhythm and any irregularities.

Heart attack
An electrocardiogram exam will show any evidence of a previous heart attack or of a heart attack that may be progressing.

Inadequate oxygen and blood levels that are going to the heart
Electrocardiograms are completed while you are showcasing symptoms and are able to provide information to your physician to determine if the chest pain you are feeling is caused by reduced blood flow to the heart, this will include angina, chest pain, and other factors.

Structural abnormalities
Electrocardiograms show clues of enlargements within the walls of the heart, or within the chambers, as well as any heart defects and other heart issues.

Your physician may refer you to an electrocardiogram for a number of different reasons, but mostly to determine or even detect the following:

– Abnormal heart rhythm
– Narrowed or blocked arteries within the heart can cause chest pain and even heart attacks
– Show if the patient has previously suffered from a heart attack
– How the heart disease treatments are working for the patient including pacemakers

An electrocardiogram (EKG) can reveal if you are having an abnormal heart rhythm, medically known as an arrhythmia. This is when there is a dysfunction within the electric signals which are sent from one area of the heart to another.

Electrocardiograms can also reveal if the heart is getting enough oxygen, it needs enough oxygen for it to function properly, if there are any blockages or constrictions within the blood vessels, the heart will then experience what is known as ischemia, which is a dangerous state which the cardiac tissue becomes under perfused. If it experiences this for too long, the muscle will begin to die, and heart failure will occur which can lead to death.

An electrocardiogram can also reveal if the heart is enlarged. A healthy heart is known to be the size of a fist, due to medical conditions or causes which include untreated high blood pressure, advanced age, heart failure, and viral infections of the cardiac muscle, these can lead to an abnormally enlarged heart, which needs attention from a medical provider.

Finally, an electrocardiogram can also tell you if you’ve had a previous heart attack, it’s also known as a silent heart attack, as many patients do not even feel the effects of it taking place. However, it is still possible for you to endure a heart attack even if you had a normal electrocardiogram (EKG). This is due to an EKG not being able to show an asymptomatic blockage that is occurring within the arteries, and this can put you at risk for a heart attack in the future. For more information, about EKG’s or other services, call us or talk to our professionals at our clinic. We serve patients from Portland OR, PDX, Tigard OR, Milwaukie OR, Cedar Hills OR, Cedar Mill OR, Lake Oswego OR, Oak Grove OR, Vancouver WA, Aloha OR, Minnehaha WA, Gladstone OR, Tualatin OR, West Linn OR, Fairview OR, Oregon City OR.