EKG Testing Doctor

Electrocardiogram (EKG)

An EKG test is a straightforward and painless procedure to diagnose various heart conditions. This quick diagnostic tool can inform your healthcare provider about conditions like heart attacks, heart failure, heart damage, abnormal heart rhythms, and the performance of your pacemaker.

In today’s corporate medical industry, finding old fashioned personalized healthcare care can be challenging. Recognizing this need, the experienced medical professionals at Hartland Medicine provide big healthcare experience with small practice attention to each patient. Contact us and schedule an appointment with a board certified EKG doctor today.

Understanding EKG

An Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) employs temporary electrodes placed on your chest and limbs to monitor and record your heart’s electrical activity, which is responsible for controlling your heartbeats. This information is then converted into a wave pattern by a computer for your healthcare provider to analyze. This non-invasive test can be carried out while you’re resting or during physical exercise, as part of a stress test.

EKG Devices

Since a regular EKG only monitors your heart’s electrical activity for a brief period, it might not detect intermittent irregularities. To capture such anomalies, your healthcare provider can recommend:

Holter monitor: A device that you wear for 24 to 48 hours to continuously record your heart’s electrical activity.
Event monitor: A device worn for a week or longer. You may have to manually start recording when you experience symptoms.

Interpreting an EKG

Your natural pacemaker, the sinoatrial node, initiates your heartbeat with an electrical signal. An EKG tracks this signal and its effect on your heart as it contracts and relaxes with each heartbeat.

Your healthcare provider will examine the electrical activity’s intensity, frequency, and time intervals between the distinct waves or peaks representing the electrical impulses.

The first wave, or “P wave,” is created by your upper heart chambers (atria), where your heartbeat begins.
The subsequent wave, known as a QRS complex, is formed by your lower heart chambers (ventricles).
The third wave, or “T wave,” represents your heart at rest or recovering after beating.

ECG vs. EKG

Both ECG and EKG refer to an electrocardiogram. EKG is derived from the German word for electrocardiogram, which uses “k” instead of “c”. This term should not be confused with an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of your heart.

Applications of an EKG

Your healthcare provider may use an EKG to:

Evaluate your heart rhythm for normalcy or arrhythmia.
Diagnose insufficient blood flow to your heart muscle (ischemia) due to coronary artery disease.
Detect a heart attack.
Identify abnormalities in your heart, such as heart chamber enlargement and abnormal electrical conduction.
Detect heart damage or heart failure.
Ensure you’re healthy enough for upcoming surgery.

An EKG can also be used to monitor your heart after you’ve:

Received a pacemaker.
Started heart disease medication.
Had a heart attack.

Symptoms Diagnosed with an EKG

Your provider may recommend an EKG test if you’re experiencing: