Read about the latest news on ECG / EKG Machines

Did you know that more than 70 million adults in the US have high blood pressure? So prevalent is this health problem in the US that it has many doctors scrambling to find an effective solution.

Blood pressure is a measurement of the force with which blood is pushing its way through blood vessels and arteries. Any time that blood pressure is up; it means that the heart has to work much harder, which could lead to a number of serious illnesses, including heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke or aneurysm.

Doctors will normally check blood pressure at a routine check-up and order an EKG machine test for older patients or those at high risk for hypertension. The reason why high blood pressure is so concerning is because it is usually an indicator of present or future heart disease, which is the number one killer in America. It can also cause cardiovascular damage and complicate other health problems.

According to most physicians the “normal” blood pressure level is 120/80 or lower. Even a measurement that is slightly higher than this can indicate a condition called pre-hypertension, but high blood pressure is usually diagnosed when blood pressure exceeds 140/90.

Some symptoms of hypertension include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, vision problems, chest pains, irregular heartbeat and nausea. While there are a number of highly effective prescription drugs on the market to help control high blood pressure, lifestyle changes are sometimes the best medicine.

So how is high blood pressure controlled? Proper exercise, a healthy diet, weight loss, and reduced salt and alcohol intake can help a lot, but it is also important to get regular screenings. Most doctors will recommend an electrocardiogram, using a 12-lead EKG machine, as well as a stress test and dietary changes. Controlling high blood pressure can be a quite challenge but “take heart”, it can be done!

EKG machines are used to measure the electrical signals of the heart, but these electrical measurements can often be misleading. This is especially true when EKG machines are used to diagnose left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). In most cases, doctors need to order more tests before coming to a final diagnosis of this disorder.

According to a recent study by the Henry Ford Medical Center, up to 82 percent of patients who were screened with an EKG machine test received a false positive reading and about 7 percent were given a false negative result. This study was conducted with a control group of 500 patients.

When study researchers analyzed the EKG data against other test results, they found that CT scans were a better predictor of the disease. This is because a CT scan takes a series of images of the heart, while EKG /ECG machines only measure the electrical activity. Once a diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is evident, patients are usually given additional testing, such as an echo-cardiogram and an MRI scan.

LVH causes a thickening of the heart’s lower left chamber, and is usually caused by another medical condition, like hypertension, but unfortunately the disorder is often misdiagnosed or undetectable until it has significantly progressed.

Further research must be done to determine the best method of testing for LVH, because it can be serious. People with LVH are often more susceptible to other cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, myocardial infractions, stroke and abnormal heart rhythms.

Have you ever wondered why a stroke can be a relatively minor event in some people, and a death sentence for others? A recent study shows by the University of Rochester School of Medicine shows that patients with abnormal electrical impulses in the heart are at a much more likely to die within 90 days when they suffer an ischemic stroke.

According to recent research, when a patient’s QTc intervals are greater than 438 milliseconds (in men) and 440 milliseconds (in women) their prognosis after suffering a stroke is not good. QTc intervals are a measurement of the heart’s electrical activity, and are detected with EKG machines.

One important finding in this study was that Emergency Room staff members often forget to review a patient’s current prescription medications to determine they could play a role in lengthening their QTc intervals. When a QTc interval is too long, electrical signals take longer to pass through the heart’s ventricles. A simple EKG machine can diagnose this type of disorder in patients.

Not all electrical abnormalities of the heart are caused by prescription drugs, however. In many cases, it is caused by a genetic disorder or congenital heart disease. EKG machines, which measure the electrical waves in the heart, as well as other cardiology tests, are used to determine the cause of the disorder.

Further research must be done to measure the relationship between QTc intervals and high death rates from an acute ischemic stroke. A recent Mayo Clinic study revealed that only 70% of patients with longer QTc intervals survived for three months after an ischemic stroke, while 87 percent of those without the disorder survived. Also, among those with prolonged electrical intervals who did survive past 90 days, their functionality was poorer than those with normal heart activity.

Overall, doctors should pay close attention to the electrical activity of their patients’ hearts, especially in patients with chronic heart disease. This can be done through regular testing on an EKG machine.