How to Read EKG

Meaning and definition of EKG

EKG, also known as electrocardiogram or electrocardiograph is a test that records and monitors the patient’s electrical impulses and rhythms of the heart. With its help, the physician interprets the results or supportive diagnosis procedures for any heart abnormalities. The process of EKG is very simple, quick, safe as well as painless. More often, the doctors suggest going for EKG in order to check the heart rhythms, blood circulations of the heart muscles, heart attack diagnosis, any abnormalities with the heart muscle and some other factors associated with the heart.

An EKG machine measures the heart’s electrical activities and includes a non-invasive test to measure many aspects of the heart. There is an abnormal EKG too. In some cases, you may have seen the normal variations of a heart’s rhythm that inversely affects health. In those situations, abnormal EKG is done determining the signal of medical emergencies such as minor heart attack or any other dangerous arrhythmia.

EKG and ECG are the same?

In the general term, both EKG and ECG are used in the same way that is to measure the electrical activities of the heart. Both of them are helpful in measuring heart rate and its variability, stress, fatigues, breathing index, moods, etc in the simpler and quicker ways. You will get more and more fascinating facts when you dive deep into the working of EKG and ECG. They ensure to keep your heart at a steady pace if the electrical impulses travel across the muscular cells of the heart and trigger contractions. Thus, performing with this, you can measure and record it as well. This is because, by pairing with algorithms, an Electrocardiogram biosensor is a device which collects the data and translates it into an actionable insight for the sake of individual health.

Things you need to consider before taking the EKG test

If you are prescribed to take an EKG test, you must consider some of the important aspects so that the physician can run it smooth as well as you also don’t need to go through any problem while taking the test. Some of the insights are that you need to avoid taking greasy skin creams or lotions on the day to avoid any contact of the electrodes with your skin. The next most important thing is you need to avoid full-length hosieries as, during the test, the electrodes are placed directly on your legs and having a full-length garment may cause you and your physician many problems. Another important thing to consider before going for EKG test is to wear an easily removable shirt so that leads can easily be placed on your chest. Wearing t-shirts or any other garment may make it difficult for you to remove when asked by your concerned physician, so you need to take care of it on the special concern.

Evolution of EKG

The evolutionary factor of ECG and EKG technology is very futuristic in a lot of ways. The technology actually began to be developed in the late 19th century. This was a milestone moment in the sphere of technology when it occurred in 1905, by a Dutch physiologist Dr. Willem Einthoven. He was the first human electrocardiogram. After that, the process was transmitted to his lab from a hospital and began to spread all over the world thereafter. Because of this great innovation in technology, Einthoven also rewarded with the Nobel Prize by the government.

With the evolution of this technology, it made the process of buying expensive products for EKG and ECG for the device manufacturers as well as the customers. Initially, it was only available in medical environments or under the supervision of a healthcare provider, but with the rise and advancement of wearable technology that is equipped with ECG and EKG biosensors, it has made it possible for consumers to gain its access to their personal data by tracking their health and made it possible for the necessary lifestyle changes in the long term.

Technical aspects while reading EKG

A technician needs to be careful enough while reading EKG. At first, he/she needs to access the patient i.e, the skin type, having any problem like chest pain, palpation of peripheral pulses, etc. Then he/she needs to get the information about the patient’s regular heart rate. A normal heart rhythm contains P wave, a T wave, and a QRS. Thus, knowing the normal deflection, amplitude, duration, etc of each component will help you to get an accurate rhythm and a perfect EKG interpretation. After determining the regularity or irregularity of the rhythms, by using callipers or a simple piece of paper to track the P waves or QRS complexes and can see if they are running along or having gaps. This is a systematic approach for reading EKG in a better way. Then comes the most important part of EKG reading that is heart rate. Determining the heart rate sometimes becomes complex if you don’t have many ideas with you. For this, you need to look at the EKG to see whether the heart rate is regular or not. Both regularity and fastening of heartbeat are necessary for rhythm interpretation as it will define the stability of the patient’s rhythm and help to make it stable. These are some of the aspects which an EKG technician needs to consider before reading an EKG.

Final Insights

There are certain procedures which are necessary to know for reading EKG properly. Elite Medical Academy provides you with an all-round of technical aspects through its advanced EKG technician training and great practices. You can get a better idea if you are choosing your profession as an EKG technician. Although these blogs give you a basic overview regarding EKG, only proper training can help you to become a perfectionist in this regard.