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What is an EKG? – A Concise Guide to Electrocardiograms

25, Jan 2023



An EKG may be prescribed by your doctor if you have chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath during exercise or at rest, or any combination of these symptoms. In this short and painless examination, your heart's electrical activity is measured. A cardiac issue can be identified or ruled out using information from an EKG, which reveals abnormal heart rhythms.

It has been tested before. The term "electrocardiogram" had been created by the 1800s and was available in a variety of languages. The terms "ECG" and "EKG" are interchangeable. Medical practitioners of EKG Melbourne Florida frequently use "ECG".

Reasons for Having an EKG

Medical practitioners ask for EKGs for a range of reasons. You might require an EKG if you encounter any of the following symptoms:

  • A pounding, rapid pulse
  • Palpitations in the heart
  • Chest pain
  • Breathing difficulty while activity
  • Breathing difficulty when at rest
  • Dizziness or light headedness
  • Confusion
  • Unjustified sluggishness or exhaustion

An EKG may be requested by doctors to help identify or track existing diseases or treatments:

  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Damaged heart muscle
  • Either a recent or past heart attack
  • Effectiveness of a pacemaker or cardiac medication

EKG Experience

The filling and contraction of your heart are caused by electrical activity, according to the doctors of EKG treatment Melbourne Florida at Dr. Sue Mitra. The heart uses it to pump blood. The cardiac muscle needs electrical activity to function.

An ECG measures this vital activity. In a typical 12-lead EKG (or 12-lead ECG), the electrical impulse that goes through the heart collects data from 12 separate locations.

Small electrode pads or sensors are typically applied to your arms, chest, and legs when you undergo an EKG. Then, while your heart beats, the gadget captures the electrical signals' amplitude and timing as they leave the heart's natural pacemaker cells.  

The test will not cause you to experience any odd sensations, and it will be over in under two minutes. As the patient, you don't need to do anything to prepare. You will receive advice from the medical professional on what to do.

Sue Mitra explains, "We want the patient to be in a comfortable position. "No need to hold their breath for them. The study technician will say, "Okay, just relax and breathe normally." The technician will then operate the device, press a button, and a strip of paper with the electrical activity captured from various leads will be printed."

The EKG test is risk-free and painless. Despite popular belief, the electrodes do not deliver electricity to your body. People occasionally believe that the device you are recording that electrical activity on might genuinely be supplying electrical current to them which is not true.

Concluding Notes

You might require a second ECG or another test, like an echocardiography, if the results indicate a cardiac rhythm issue. Your symptoms and signs are treated at their source. Learn more about EKG treatment Melbourne Florida services at Dr. Sue Mitra’s office on tests and treatments that can be used to assist manage or treat illnesses.


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Dr. Sue Mitra and her staff strive to offer their patients the best care, advice and services available in the medical field with the goal to keep patient healthy & happy.