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The ECG in Coronary Artery Disease

An ECG, known also as an EKG or an electrocardiogram, is a test used to identify potential heart or circulatory-system conditions and abnormalities. Coronary artery disease, a condition that affects the amount of blood reaching the heart, can often be diagnosed with the use of an ECG test. Physicians will commonly perform the test if patients experience any of the characteristic symptoms of coronary artery disease.

    ECG Aspects

    • An ECG works by recording the electrical activity of the heart. Electrical impulses move through the top to the bottom of the entire heart muscle each time the heart beats and pumps blood. An ECG is designed to pick up and record these electrical impulses since any deviations in normal electrical impulse patterns or heartbeat rhythms can signal that the heart is not functioning properly.

    Procedure

    • An ECG is a quick and painless test. To perform the test, a dozen electrodes are attached to various points on the patient's torso and limbs. The individual's heartbeat and electrical impulses are recorded in a computer. Formerly, ECG results were recorded on graph paper; computerized results are much more common now.

    Uses

    • An ECG can be used to diagnose heart problems by identifying disruptions in the normal electrical impulse patterns of the heart. An ECG test can show if the heart is not receiving enough blood, if it is beating irregularly, if the heartbeats are weaker than normal, and if the electrical signals traveling through the heart muscle take longer than normal to reach from one part to the other.

    Coronary artery disease

    • Coronary artery disease occurs when the walls of the coronary arteries--the arteries that feed blood to the heart--become narrower and stiffer due to the buildup of plaque. Arteries narrowed by plaques transfer less blood to the heart and can cause the heart to become weaker and to beat irregularly.

    Symptoms

    • Individuals experiencing symptoms of coronary artery disease are usually promptly scheduled for ECG tests to determine the health of their heart. The most common coronary artery disease symptoms include chest pain or unexplained pressure in the chest area, shortness of breath and heart palpitations, the sensation that the heart is beating irregularly or more forcefully than normal.

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