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Ekg Research Paper

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An EKG is a electrocardiogram, which is a test done to the heart. The heart is a muscular pump that transports blood throughout the body. It is made up of four chambers, the upper ones are called atria and the bottom two chambers are called ventricles. The heart has the ability to pump due to a natural electrical system. An EKG is done to measure the electrical activity of a heartbeat. An EKG is done by a is performed in a doctor's office or a hospital. The patient will be dressed in a hospital gown, removing all jewelry and will then have to lay on a medical table where twelve to fifteen electrodes will be attached to their arms, legs and chest. Electrodes are little patches that are used to detected and conduct the electrical impulses. If there is hair …show more content…

During the test the patient is asked to remain still, shivering could distort the reading therefore you are to be warm while the test is in progress. The patient is able to breathe normally. The test shows a line tracing with spikes and valleys on a piece of paper. Those spikes and valleys are called waves. The creation of the waves are made by the upper chambers and lower chambers. The upper chambers make the first wave referred to as the “P wave” and the lower chambers make the second wave, which is referred to as “QRS complex”. Following this wave is the “T wave”, the final wave. This wave is the electrical recovery or return to the resting state for the ventricles. This test measures how long it takes an electrical wave to pass through the heart. It also tests if the electrical activity is normal, or too slow, or possibly to fast. EKG’s can even help find the cause of certain symptoms of heart disease. Such as shortness of breath, dizziness and palpitations. They also can determine if the walls of the heart are too thick. It can test whether medications are causing side effects to the heart. People with pacemakers get EKGs done to test how well the devices is

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