Understanding the Basics of the EKG ECG and Electrocardiogram

Alleviate the anxiety of taking the test

The EKG, ECG, and Electrocardiogram

Naturally we tend to fear the unknown. It is normal. It is expected.

Going to the emergency room or a doctor's office to get an EKG, otherwise known as an ECG, or an electrocardiogram shouldn't be one of our unknown fearful experiences.

My experiences over the past eighteen months having been tested many times taught me, that every time I asked a nurse can you please explain the recording to me? She responded. The doctor will be right in. He will tell you.

When the doctor came in he was always in such a rush, there was never any time to really get into the details. I had to learn whatever I know on my own. Why should you? I will try to explain it as well as I can.

The purpose of the EKG or ECG is to Detect Abnormalities in the Heart Rhythm.

The body's natural pacemaker the sinoatrial node, a mass of cardiac muscle fibers located in the posterior wall of the right atrium generates at regular intervals an electric current that shocks the heart into beating.

The electric current that is then generated by the heart muscle is a repeated sequence of wave forms. They originate each time the heart beats.

By monitoring and reading the electronic wave patterns created by the body's natural pacemaker, physicians can learn of any abnormalities in the heart rhythm.

This may be an indicator of heart disease and analyzing the EKG data together with other clinical observations can indicate the type and cause of the irregularity in the heart muscle.

What can and cannot be detected by the EKG test

The following may be detected by the EKG test:

• The rate and rhythm of the heart - arrhythmias
• The orientation of the heart
• Thickness of the heart muscle
• Damage to parts of the heart muscle
• Evidence of actively impaired blood flow to the heart muscle
• Evidence of a prior heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• An evolving or an acute heart attack

The test cannot tell you whether you will get a heart attack or not. I write this because I have heard that misconception from many people.

The EKG Process Applying the Electrodes

The technician or the nurse first cleans a small area on twelve locations on the body with a wet cotton swab dipped in a solvent such as alcohol. She then dries the area. This process is important because the human skin with its oily nature has a high electronic resistance level.

The nurse or technician then applies a small circular electrode that has a globule of electric paste on one side of it. The paste assists in the conductivity of the electric current that goes through the skin and is an adhesive, sticking the electrode to the skin.

In my experience removing these electrodes causes the only ouch of the entire electrocardiogram. It is the same sensation as when we remove a band-aid that has been stuck in place for a while.

The other side of the electrode has a small little metal piece that gets attached to a prong or lead coming from the monitor. —These sticky electrodes are applied to those twelve locations that were cleaned earlier.

EKG- The Twelve Leads - Detecting the Different Levels of Electrical Activity

The twelve leads are placed on the body in such a way that they can detect the different levels of electrical activity going on in different vantage points in the heart. These areas are the lower (inferior) wall, the side (lateral) wall and the frontal (anterior) wall.

The twelve leads are divided into two parts the limb leads and the chest leads. That means that six leads are placed on the outer limbs, the arms and the legs, and six leads are placed on the chest.

The limb leads provide views of the frontal plane, and the chest leads provide views of the horizontal plane of the heart.

EKG- The Waves- the P Wave the QRS Wave and the T Wave

A typical EKG - ECG tracing of a normal heartbeat consists of a P wave, a QRS complex and a T wave. A small U wave is not normally visible.

The three waves represent different stages of the electric current as it goes across the heart.

The P wave which is a small low amplitude wave produced by the excitation of the Atria.

Then comes the Q.R.S. (Q. upward, R. downward, S downward after an upward) wave which is a rapid high amplitude wave marking the ventricular excitation. Then a slow building T wave represents the recovery of the ventricular.

Reading and Diagnosing the Electrocardiograms EKG Printout

A lesson that I have learned from my own experience several times, is that reading and diagnosing the actual report is something that must be left for the physician. There are many other factors related to each individual case that explain different variations in the waves.

At times I have prodded the technicians to tell me what they see. They always responded the same way, wait for the doctor. I prodded anyway; sometimes they did try to explain to me what they think they understood. They were always wrong.

In conclusion I say to you; when you are feeling chest pains or shortness of breath, go to your doctor or emergency room and have your EKG taken. It is a painless, necessary test that can indicate if you are suffering from heart disease.

Or better yet, why not take preemptive measures that will lessen the chance of ever having to take this test. Take matters into your own hands.

If you want to learn more about the history of electrocardiography you can read about it here if you would like to view actual EKG recordings you can do so here at the EKG, ECG, and electrocardiogram library