What can I expect during the ECG test?

During the ECG test, otherwise known as an electrocardiogram, you will have approximately 12 electrodes attached to your body. They could be placed on different areas of the skin, including chest, hands and arms. You will probably be asked to lie down on the table while the electrodes follow electrical signals inside your heart. The machine in the room records signals on paper so that your doctor can see them for any abnormalities. The ECG test is generally very short and completely painless.

There are certain circumstances where different types of ECG tests need to be performed. The traditional ECG test may not be able to pick up certain types of heart problems such as irregular heart rhythm because these problems are not always present. If you have an irregular heart rhythm, it can only occur several times a day, and if so, there is a great chance that ECG has not lifted it unless irregularity has been present at the time of your test. Atyp ECG commonly known as a stress test may be necessary if you have a heartEuction problems that occur only occasionally. During a stress test, you may be asked to walk or run on the treadmill while you have electrodes on your skin to make your heart beat faster and likely to be recorded any irregularities.

In addition to the traditional ECG and ECG stress test, doctors sometimes also perform another type of ECG called Nuclear Heart Scanning. This type of ECG is usually performed when a stress test cannot be performed due to the patient's health. If you are going to undergo a nuclear heart scan, your doctor will injure you to make your heart beat faster along with a radioactive stop to monitor the results.

Regardless of the type of ECG test, you can end up with other tests depending on the results of your ECG. If the results of your ECG were abnormal, your doctor may decide to follow TEST with MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging). MRI will show in detail pictures of your heart to see your doctor exactly which part of your heart is weak or damaged. It may also be a necessary pet test (positron emission tomography) to keep your doctor to see chemical activity taking place in different areas of your heart.