EKG

Check for any problems or abnormalities.

This test checks for any problems or abnormalities with the electrical activity of your heart. An EKG or ECG (electrocardiogram) is a test that is performed to check for any problems with the electrical activity of a person’s heart. The electrical activity is shown as line tracings on a paper, with spikes and dips called waves. There are several reasons that your physician may recommend an EKG test be done. An EKG may be done to find the cause of unexplained chest pain, which could be caused by a heart attack, angina, or pericarditis.

It is also done to: find the cause of symptoms of heart disease; check the thickness of the walls of the heart chambers; check how well mechanical devices implanted in the heart and medicines are working; and to check heart health when other conditions or diseases are present, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.