ECG
Hossein Dehghani, MD
The ECG is one of the most basic, quick and easy ways to evaluate the heart. It gives useful information about pulse rate and any problems with the electricity conduction of the heart. It also allows for diagnosing acute heart attacks in the setting of chest pain which usually has people seek emergency help and diagnosis of less frequent things such as collection of fluid in the sack around the heart, acute heart attack or suggestion of portions of the heart muscle not receiving enough blood. ECGs can furthermore suggest old heart attacks and increased wall thickness of the heart muscle due to long standing high blood pressure or rare genetic conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The ECG can also pick up effects of particular heart medications such as Digoxin or electrolyte abnormalities some of which can be life threatening, particularly conditions known as Hyper and Hypokalemia which are imbalances of potassium level.
