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In order for the heart to effectively pump blood through our bodies, an electrical system of impulses must be working properly.

An EKG machine can measure the efficiency of the heart’s electrical impulses, but some wonder how the heart’s electrical conduction system works in the first place. Here is a brief overview:

Here is what is required for the heart to pump effectively:

* Substantial delay between atrial and ventricular activity: This “delay” between impulses allows the atria (or upper chambers) to completely empty their contents into the lower chambers, or ventricles. If the two chambers were to contract simultaneously, this would result in inefficient filling or back flow. In order to maintain this delay, the atria are electrically isolated from the ventricles.
* Coordinated ventricular cell contraction must be present. In order to maximize systolic pressure, forcing the blood through the body, all ventricular cells must work in concert. This contraction, or depolarization process, squeezes blood in one direction, toward the exit of the heart, because the ventricular cells contact simultaneously.
* After contracting, the heart muscle needs to relax in order to fill up again. Any sustained contraction of the heart muscle, without the necessary relaxation, would be fatal.

An EKG machine can be used to measure the effectiveness of the heart’s electrical system, and provide an early diagnosis of any problems.

Because the cardiac muscle has some unique properties from other muscles in the body, it is important to monitor the rhythms and impulses of the heart on a regular basis, particularly if the patient suffers from hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, habitual smoking, or has a family history of heart disease. Maintaining the health of the heart’s electrical rhythms through regular EKG machine testing can be the best preventive medicine for high risk or elderly patients.