Question 1

Your doctor uses the ECG to

Accepted Answer

• Assess your heart rhythm.
 • Diagnose poor blood flow to the heart muscle “ischemia”.
 • Diagnose a heart attack.
 • Diagnose abnormalities of your heart, such as heart chamber  enlargement or detect electrical abnormalities commonly known as  “arrhythmia” that patients sometimes may or may not feel.

Question 2

How to prepare

Accepted Answer

• Avoid oily or greasy skin creams and lotions the day of the test, as the cream can interfere with the sticker-skin contact.

Question 3

What to wear

Accepted Answer

• Wear a shirt that can be easily removed to place the leads on the chest.

Question 4

What to expect

Accepted Answer

• During a resting ECG, a technician will attach 12 stickers with  adhesive pads to your chest, arms and legs. Men may have chest hair  shaved to allow a better connection.
 • You will lie flat while the computer creates a picture, on graph paper, of the electrical impulses traveling through your heart.
 • It takes about 5 minutes to attach the electrodes and complete the test, but the actual recording takes only a few seconds.
 • Your ECG patterns will be kept on file for comparison with future ECG recordings.

Question 5

After the procedure

Accepted Answer

• People can resume their normal daily activities, including driving, after an ECG.
 • Your ECG will be reviewed and the results will be reported to your  doctor. If necessary you may be referred for additional testing or a  consultation with a physician.

Electrocardiogram

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