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EKG
An EKG is a graph that measures the electric activity of the heart. It is a non-invasive measuring device, which means you don’t have to have anything implanted in order for it to work. The EKG stands for electrocardiogram, or the German, elektrokardiogramm. The word is made up of three different roots. Electro is because it measures electric activity, cardio from the Greek for heart, and gram, which is another Greek word for to draw. This is often favored over ECG in the US because it is easier to read on a chart, but for the rest of the world, ECG is the universal preference. Electrical waves are used to make the heart pump—or beat—so that is why it is so important for doctors to measure and understand the heart’s electrical activity. The display will show the overall effectiveness of the heart, and if anything is not working correctly, or if the electrical activity is erratic or the rhythm is abnormal. If you do have a regularly abnormal rhythm because of problems with the ventricles, then you might need to have an implanted defibrillator, in which case the graph will need to be used to measure and make sure that your defibrillator is working the way it should. That means that the graph is used in both the diagnoses and the treatment of certain heart conditions. The first time wires were attached to a patient’s pulse was in 1872, and ever since then doctors and scientists have been studying the electrical system of the heart. Related Information EKG Classes. EKG Rhythm Strips |
