What is an EKG? A Complete Guide to Electrocardiograms

an EKG is a simple and painless test that records the electrical activity in the heart the doctor will use an EKG to detect any heart problems such as a heart attack irregular heartbeats or heart failure with each heartbeat an electrical signal travels from the top of the heart to the bottom of the heart causing the heart to contract and pump blood this signal creates the rhythm of the heartbeat okay I'm gonna have you have a seat right up here all right okay so this test is gonna measure the electrical activity in your heart will show how fast your heart is beating if you have a regular or an irregular pulse and it'll show us the electrical activity and each part of your heart there are many reasons why a patient may need an EKG your doctor will normally order one as part of your routine physical if you were to complain of chest pain an irregular heartbeat or a fluttering in your chest if you were to have shortness of breath weakness fatigue your doctor may also order an EKG at that time there may be also other reasons such as a strong family history of heart disease with your mother father sister or brother your doctor may also order EKG if you are on heart medications or have a pacemaker so we're gonna go ahead and get started on your EKG I'm gonna have you lie back and I'm gonna bring I'm gonna bring this out for your legs all right just relax we are you comfortable lying like that for a few minutes us okay I'm gonna have you undo your gown so I can see your chest I'm going to place electrodes across your chest on your arms and on your legs the electrodes are just small sticky tabs that will be placed over your body sometimes when men have a lot of hair on their chest we will need to remove that hair so that the adhesive sticks butter to the skin there are about 10 to 12 electrodes on normal EKGs I'm gonna roll up your pant leg just a little bit okay yes okay just relax now I'm going to take these the knees and put them to the electrodes that's what's going to create that electrical activity to show up on my EKG machine and it will show up on a grid on a piece of paper or it can also show up on a screen for the doctor to read all right okay I need you to live real still try not to move too much and try not to talk this will just take a couple seconds okay that was it now I'm just gonna remove these leaves and the electrodes I won't be able to give you any results you will need to follow up with your doctor and he'll be able to go over those results with you all right thank you

Channel: Henry Ford Allegiance Health

Views: 256,156

Keywords: EKG, ECG, electrocardiogram, heart test, heart arrhythmia, cardiology, Allegiance Health, Hospital, Health System, Jackson, Michigan

Id: jq6zqx8E-Cg

Length: 4min 31sec (271 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 09 2015