How Do Doctors Analyze EKG Results?

For many years, ECG (electrocardiogram) machines, also known as EKG machines, have helped physicians monitor the health of their patients’ hearts. They do this by detecting abnormal heart rhythms and unusual electrical impulses. People with a history of heart disease are regularly tested by their cardiologist with an EKG test, which is done by strategically attaching electrodes to the patient’s body. After a period of monitoring, the results of the test are shown on a computer monitor for the doctor to see, and then printed out or sent to a digital file for later review.

The best way to describe a doctor’s analysis of EKG / ECG testing is that they compare it to the way a healthy heart would look. This is the easiest way for them to see differences in heart rhythm, heart rate and other patterns of the heart’s electrical impulses. In cases where a patient’s heart shows abnormalities, additional testing is usually ordered to determine the nature of the problem, but first doctors will try to identify recurring patterns over time.

Heart rate is the first indicator that a doctor will look at, which can be seen my viewing the spikes and dips on the EKG graph. The “P” spike is the first one, and it represents the impulses generated by the upper chamber of the heart. The flatter of the two lines is the “PR” line, which represents the amount of time between the heart’s contraction and the relaxation of the atria. In cases where this fluctuation happens too quickly, it is called atrial fibrillation. By analyzing the results from EKG machines, doctors are able to quickly diagnose heart abnormalities and recommend medications and lifestyle changes.

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