ECG Full Form – You must be wondering whether your heart is healthy or not. If you want to check out your heart activity, go for ECG.
ECG is the abbreviated form of the electrocardiogram. It is a diagnostic tool to check the activity of your heart. ECG is a non-invasive, painless test based on electrical signals coming out from heartbeats.
How does ECG Detect Irregularities in the Functioning of the Heart
Before going into details about the working of ECG and how it detects the type of problem in the heart, you must be aware of the functioning of the heart.
How does the Heart Function?
The heart is the small fist-sized muscular organ responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. It circulates the blood via arteries and veins. Heart pumping involves contractions in heart muscles and relaxations. These two movements are repeated in a sequence simultaneously to pump blood in a particular direction.
How the heart Generates Electrical Signals
The heart is an auto-generated organ which means that it does not require the brain to control its functioning. The signals or stimulus for contractions and relaxations are generated from sinoatrial nodes that cause contractions in the upper half of the heart, and the stimulus then further spreads to ventricles present in the lower half of the heart for relaxation.
Working in an ECG
ECG interprets the electrical signals coming from the heart and calculates the heart cycles of relaxation and contraction along with the time they take to complete these cycles. These are correlated with normal heart waves (P, Q, R, S, T). If the signals are different, they will give a distorted wave which corresponds to a particular heart disease or condition.
In some cases, the symptoms of heart problems are not static and cannot be detected in an ECG, and therefore there are mobile ECGs and heart monitoring devices.
Different types of Heart Monitoring Devices:
- 1. Symptom event monitor
- 2. Implanted loop recorders
- 3. Loop memory monitor
- 4. Patch recorders
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Why is ECG done?
ECG is a tool to monitor heart activities in a painless and non-invasive manner. If you are in doubt that your heart is not healthy and there is heavy breathing, you must get an ECG to know about your heart’s health. The doctor recommends an ECG for the following conditions:
- 1. Heavy breathing on walking or some strenuous work
- 2. Arrhythmias- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- 3. Blocked or clogged blood vessels (arteries and veins) leading to heart attack or chest pain.
- 4. In case of a history of heart attack
- 5. To check the status of pacemaker functioning
- 6. Post-traumatic stress and some disease
- 7. Rapid pulse
- 8. Heart palpitations
- 9. Shortness of breath
- 10. Finding it very hard to exercise
- 11. Weakness
- 12. Dizziness
- 13. Fatigue
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why is ECG done?
ECG is a diagnostic tool developed to monitor heart activities in a painless and non-invasive manner. If you are in doubt that your heart is not healthy and there is heavy breathing, you must get an ECG to know about your heart’s health.
Q2. Are there any mobile or continuous ECG or heart monitoring devices?
There are various heart monitoring devices that can be used while doing your normal day-to-day activities, and most of the devices are
- 1. Symptom event monitor
- 2. Implanted loop recorders
- 3. Loop memory monitor
- 4. Patch recorders
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Q3. Which health conditions are diagnosed from ECG?
There are various health conditions that are related
- 1. Heavy breathing on walking or some strenuous work
- 2. Arrhythmias- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- 3. Blocked or clogged blood vessels (arteries and veins) leading to heart attack or chest pain.
- 4. In case of a history of heart attack
- 5. To check the status of pacemaker functioning
- 6. Post-traumatic stress and some disease
- 7. Rapid pulse
- 8. Heart palpitations
- 9. Shortness of breath
- 10. Finding it very hard to exercise
- 11. Weakness
- 12. Dizziness
- 13. Fatigue
-
Q5. What are the risks of undergoing ECG?
There are no risks associated with the ECG test. You need to be calm and relaxed throughout the test because it will disturb your reports. Do not get scared by the electrode wires; they can not give an electrical shock.
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