Electrocardiogram (ECG)

What is an electrocardiogram (ECG)?
An electrocardiogram is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. With each heartbeat, an electrical impulse causes the heart muscle to contract and blood is sent to other parts of the body. A standard ECG record consists of 12 different vector records, each reflecting the difference in electrical potential between the positive and negative electrodes placed on the limbs and chest. The record consists of different curves (p wave, QRS complex, T wave), each of which indicates a certain part of the cardiac cycle.

Why do we use ECG?
We do ECG because the 12-channel ECG record gives us a lot of information and today it is an indispensable part of the cardiology examination. For example, through the EKG, we reveal information about the current heart rhythm and heart rate. It is key to making many cardiology diagnoses, especially arrhythmias and ischemic heart diseases (acute myocardial infarction, recovered myocardial infarction - scar). In addition, it can detect enlargement of the heart cavities (atria), thickening (hypertrophy) of the ventricles and certain conditions predisposing to sudden cardiac death (eg Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, prolonged QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome).

What does the electrocardiogram recording procedure look like?
The patient in the cabin takes off the upper part of his clothes so that the chest is free. Then he lies down on the bed where the nurse places electrodes (4 electrodes on the limbs - 2 on the arms and 2 on the legs and 6 electrodes on the upper part of the chest) and records the EKG record. It is recorded and written down on graph paper. The search is painless and harmless.

When are the findings finished?
Immediately after the recording, the doctor will read you the ECG record.