Electrocardiogram (EKG)?

Doctors use a variety of tests to detect heart disease. One common test is the electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).

What is an electrocardiogram (EKG)?

A healthy heart works as an "electrical pump" and needs a strong blood supply to conduct electricity. People with heart disease, however, have a weak blood supply, so their hearts conduct electricity poorly. An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a noninvasive test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. An EKG takes approximately five minutes and is painless. Many other heart conditions can be diagnosed with an EKG, for example:

• abnormal heart rhythms,


• evidence of prior heart attack,


• evidence of an evolving heart attack,


• unstable angina,


• congenital heart abnormalities,


• evidence of abnormal blood electrolytes, and


• evidence of inflammation of the heart (myocarditis, pericarditis).

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