An irregular ECG can be caused by problems with the test or the patient’s heart. Factors such as stress, exercise, and incorrect electrode placement can affect results. Heart abnormalities can also lead to irregularities. A cardiologist can examine the ECG and recommend treatment if necessary.
An irregular electrocardiogram (ECG or ECG) can be the result of problems with the test or the patient’s heart problems. This test measures the electrical activity in the heart and provides a graph of the activity for a doctor’s review. If a patient has an irregular EKG, the doctor may interview the patient and recommend some additional tests to find out more, with the goal of determining what, if anything, needs to be done for the patient.
In this test, a technician attaches electrodes to your chest and briefly records your heart’s electrical activity. If the patient is stressed or nervous, the results can be skewed. Likewise if someone exercised before the test or moves during the test. Sometimes, the technician fails to connect the wires correctly and the signals from the heart are not recorded reliably. All of these factors will be taken into consideration when a patient has an irregular EKG.
Heart abnormalities, whether congenital or acquired, can also lead to an irregular ECG. The patient may have heart block, in which the electrical signals in the heart don’t move smoothly and reliably through the heart, leading to irregular or mismatched contractions. Some patients have a fast heart rate, known as tachycardia or bradycardia, in which the heart beats too slowly. Sometimes, ECG irregularities are the result of premature contractions, a common phenomenon that’s usually not a cause for concern, in which the heartbeat stops randomly and then returns to normal.
Having an irregular ECG does not necessarily mean there is a problem, and conversely, normal results do not always mean a patient is healthy. Sometimes, heart problems appear only at certain times, such as during exercise or during times of stress. If a patient reports heart problems, the doctor may recommend exercise tests of the heart or request ambulatory monitoring, in which the heart is recorded over several hours or days to see when the patient is having problems.
A cardiologist can examine an irregular ECG to learn more about a patient’s heart rhythm and make treatment recommendations. The doctor will consider the patient’s history and other symptoms. For example, athletes often have a low resting heart rate that would be considered bradycardia in another person. A competitive athlete with a healthy history probably doesn’t need treatment for bradycardia, while a person with normal or low activity levels and the same heart rate is cause for concern.
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