Electrocardiography

Electrocardiography is a commonly used, non-invasive procedure for recording electrical changes in the heart. Tiny electrical impulses are discharged, every time the heart beats.

Those electrical discharges can be recorded and used to measure the condition of the heart. The record is called an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), shows the series of waves that relate to the electrical impulses. The results are printed on paper or displayed on a monitor.

Doctors take the readout while the patient is under the strain of strenuous activity as most electrocardiograms show a healthy heart for patients at rest. Stress electrocardiography reveals a different picture of the heart's health. Usually, the patient walks on a treadmill machine while the heart readings are taken.

Types Of Basic Recording Devices

There are two basic types of recording devices. Continuous recorders are most frequently used for 24-48 hours. Intermittent recorders are used for weeks to months to provide brief, intermittent recordings.

This method causes no uneasiness to a patient and is often used for diagnosing heart disorders such as coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease, pericarditis or inflammation of the membrane around the heart, arrhythmia and coronary thrombosis.

The electrocardiography is a painless and fast procedure. The electrical impulses in the heart are recorded and amplified on a moving band of paper which allows a doctor or analyze what is known as the rate maker of the heart which is the part that triggers each heart beat, the rate, rhythm and nerve conduction pathways of the heart.

Ambulatory Electrocardiography

Ambulatory electrocardiography is also known as Holter monitoring, ambulatory ECG or ambulatory EKG. In this procedure, a patient wears a small recorder called a Holter monitor as he or she goes about normal daily life. The machine makes a graphic record of the heart's electrical currents.

Ambulatory EKG is mainly used to file and describe abnormal electrical activity in the heart. This can be casual, sleep-related, impulsive, or caused by emotion or stress.

Capturing and connecting symptoms with rhythm disturbances during activity needs recording or observing the heart's electrical activity during that time. This must be done constantly over time as a person goes about normal daily activities.

Purpose Of ECG

Electrocardiography is an initial point for detecting many heart related problems. It is used regularly in physical examinations and for monitoring the patient's situation during and after surgery, as well as during intensive care.

ECG is the fundamental measurement used for tests such as exercise tolerance. It is used to evaluate causes of symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath.