Your doctor might also order an EKG if you have a family history of heart problems, even when you do not show any signs or symptoms. Your doctor can use an EKG to check for signs that you have had a previous heart attack that went undetected. This procedure can also be used to check for an irregular heart rhythm, structural problems within your heart or artery blockages in your heart.
An EKG test involves placing electrodes on different areas of your chest and using these to measure electrical activity. This activity shows up on a graph, which your doctor will examine in order to check for irregularities or abnormalities. You might be a good candidate for an EKG if you are experiencing any symptoms that could be signs of heart problems. Even without symptoms, you might be a suitable candidate if heart disease or other heart problems run in your family.
Around 5 minutes owill be spent on preparing and positioning the patient for the echocardiogram. A stress echocardiogram on top of this may add another minutes. Patients will be taken to the echocardiogram room where they will be given a gown to dress in. When taking an echocardiogram access to various areas on the chest wall will be needed. EKG leads will be placed on the patient; this allows accurate acquisition of images. The echocardiogram will typically be performed on a specially designed echocardiogram table.
Often the patient will lay over to their left hand side be given a wedge to place behind the right side. This allows for clearer images due to the heart positioning. Typically images will be taken in 3 areas. Firstly on the front of the chest over the area called the sternum. Next is the left side of the chest wall, over the ribs on the right hand side under the armpit area.
Finally is the area at the top of the stomach just underneath the ribs. Sometimes extra images will be taken just underneath the neck area or in other placed. Patients will be made aware beforehand if this is the case.
A stress echocardiogram may take up to an extra 20 minutes depending on the type of stress. In some cases patients will exercise on the treadmill prior to the echocardiogram pictures being taken. In some cases patients will receive medicine through an IV to increase the heart rate and the pictures taken while various doses of medicines are given.
In some cases, there may be special findings on an echocardiogram that mean extra attention to detail and pictures are required, this will of course add time to the test. Although the echocardiogram itself may take 20 minutes there are extra things to consider when asking — how long does an echocardiogram take?
Patients will often have to register first and complete paperwork. There may be a wait for the echocardiogram depending on availability that day. These factors can add significant amounts of time and need to be considered in planning time. An ECG recording machine will usually show your heart rhythm and electrical activity as a graph displayed electronically or printed on paper. For an ambulatory ECG, the ECG machine will store the information about your heart electronically, which can be accessed by a doctor when the test is complete.
You may not be able to get the results of your ECG immediately. The recordings may need to be looked at by a specialist doctor to see if there are signs of a possible problem. Other tests may also be needed before it's possible to tell you whether there's a problem. You may need to visit the hospital, clinic or your GP a few days later to discuss your results with a doctor. An ECG is a quick, safe and painless test.
No electricity is put into your body while it's carried out. There may be some slight discomfort when the electrodes are removed from your skin — similar to removing a sticking plaster — and some people may develop a mild rash where the electrodes were attached. An exercise ECG is performed under controlled conditions. Page last reviewed: 07 September Next review due: 07 September
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