How is Heart Disease Diagnosed?

The most common screening method used by Cardiologists to test their patients for any heart abnormalities, including the presence of heart disease is an electrocardiogram, otherwise known as an ECG or EKG machine test. The original EKG machine was first introduced at the turn of the century and was quite bulky in size. Today, the EKG machines that are regularly used in most medical offices are much more modern, advanced, portable and lightweight in size. EKG machine testing is usually recommended after the physician has gathered the patient’s complete medical and family history and performed a thorough physical examination.

An EKG test is one of the most common methods used by doctors to provide information regarding patient heart rhythms, which can lead to an accurate diagnosis of heart problems.
EKG testing can be performed in different manners, depending on the patient’s specific medical circumstances or the preference of the medical practitioner. For example, the most traditional EKG test requires the patient to lie on an examination table with ten or twelve electrodes that are attached to various body parts. The electrodes on the patient are linked into the EKG machine, which enables the machine to display, graph, and record the readable waves of the electric impulses of the heart for the physician to read and make a diagnosis.

The test typically takes about five minutes. More recently, doctors are opting to perform the test while the patient is undergoing some form of moderate exercise, such as walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. The benefit of exercise testing is that it can offer patients and doctors more accurate diagnostic results of the heart pattern during realistic patterns of physical activity.

As a diagnostic medical tool, EKG machine tests do have their limitations. There are instances when an EKG test does not reflect an existing abnormality. This frequently occurs when testing patients who have reported having intermittent chest pain. These patients can be misdiagnosed, largely due to the fact that they were not experiencing any pain symptoms during the time of the test. Therefore, it is important to note that a normal EKG result can sometimes require additional tests and evaluations.

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