fbpx

What are the Disadvantages and Benefits of EKG Tests?

Every 36 seconds, a person in the US loses their life from cardiovascular disease, and every 40 seconds, someone suffers a heart attack. In addition, nearly 20% of heart problems are quiet, inflicting damage despite the absence of symptoms. The electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is one of the most rapid methods of detecting cardiac issues such as heart disease or heart failure. The benefits of an EKG are numerous. The EKG device is a life-saving instrument that is utilized daily in the medical industry.

An electrocardiogram (EKG), sometimes called an electrocardiograph (ECG), is a test that measures the electrical activity of your heart to assess its function. When your heart pumps blood, it sends an electrical impulse across the tissue, prompting the muscle to contract and blood to flow through the arteries and out to the rest of your body. We can evaluate if the electrical activity is acceptable or abnormal based on the EKG results and if there are structural anomalies.

This essay will discuss the benefits, disadvantages, and top reasons you need to get an EKG.

Top 11 Benefits of an EKG

An EKG can be used by doctors to diagnose cardiac issues or to monitor existing ones. Here are the top benefits of EKG and what it can help with:

  • Determine the source of your chest discomfort.
  • Determine the reason for your chest fluttering.
  • Examine shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms that may indicate a heart condition
  • Examine your heart rate to see whether it is unusually rapid or sluggish.
  • Examine your heart for irregularities, such as missed beats.
  • Determine your heart’s overall health.
  • Examine your heart health both before and after surgery.
  • Determine whether or not cardiac medicine is effective.
  • Examine how a pacemaker works.
  • The ECG test is rapid, painless, and completely safe.
  • The ECG test is inexpensive.

Due to your family’s medical records, you may also wish to obtain an EKG. An EKG can detect issues early, typically before symptoms appear, if you have a heart condition problem. In addition, certain drugs put a patient at risk for some cardiac cases and abnormalities, which an EKG can reveal.

An EKG might also provide you with peace of mind. For example, suppose you’ve been experiencing odd chest discomfort or other heart-related symptoms. In that case, an EKG can rule out significant health disorders and assist you in decreasing unneeded tension about health problems.

 

Disadvantages of an EKG

Aside from the benefits of EKG, the ECG is one of the most regularly used tests in medicine because it may screen for a wide range of heart disorders, machines are readily available in most medical institutions, and the test is easy, safe, and very affordable to administer. However, an ECG has disadvantages:

  • The heart rate and rhythm are revealed in the few seconds it takes to record the ECG. If an arrhythmia (heart rhythm abnormality) happens only occasionally, an ECG may not detect it, and ambulatory monitoring may be necessary.
  • The ECG is typically normal or virtually normal with several types of cardiac illness, including coronary artery disease.
  • After a comprehensive investigation, anomalies that occur on the ECG may turn out to be of little medical relevance.
  • It does not diagnose underlying cardiac issues in people who do not exhibit any symptoms.
  • It does not constantly assist in proper diagnosis. More tests are required to diagnose significant cardiac abnormalities not identified by standard ECG curves.

 

Top 5 Reasons to do an EKG

Now that we are done with KEG’s disadvantages and benefits, let’s look at the reasons to do an EKG. A healthy heart beats consistently, and EKG equipment detects anomalies in the electrical rhythm. Doctors recommend EKGs for several reasons, such as the reasons below:

 

To Determine the Cause of Chest Pain or Diagnose Heart Problems

The heart is defined as a muscular organ that requires oxygen to operate effectively. When the blood supply to the muscle is reduced or cut off, the muscle gradually diminishes and dies (ischemia). If the problem worsens and is not addressed, it can result in heart failure. Doctors can identify and treat ischemia by monitoring EKG rhythms, avoiding additional damage.

A healthy heart is about as big as a fist, but some disorders cause it to grow. An excessively enlarged heart, which appears as enormous waves on an ECG, can be caused by aging, cardiac failure, uncontrolled hypertension, viral infections in the heart, or other factors.

An EKG can identify an enlarged heart and alert doctors when necessary for medical treatment. It can also reveal if the heart’s shape has altered, suggesting that one side is functioning more and harder than the other side or is not working at all.

Heart attacks frequently go undiagnosed because their symptoms are modest, but they might manifest as anomalies on an EKG chart months or years later. An EKG can detect past heart attacks, allowing for prevention and therapy and identifying clogged arteries before they worsen. Heart attack symptoms include shortness of breath, chest discomfort, vertigo, or pain in the jaw or arm.

 

To Identify Irregular Heartbeats

A healthy heart produces consistent EKG rhythms and beats at a rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. However, when electrical signals fail to operate correctly, the heartbeat might become irregular. EKG equipment may detect an irregular heartbeat, often known as arrhythmia.

Arrhythmia is a disorder characterized by irregular heartbeats or rhythms. Tachycardia happens when the heart beats excessively quickly. Bradycardia happens when the heart rate is abnormally sluggish. Arrhythmia can develop in the lower, upper, or intermediate chambers.

Irregular heartbeats are usually caused by coronary artery disease, cardiac muscle alterations, heart surgery, and dehydration. A PVC or premature ventricular contraction, the most common arrhythmia, feels like a flutter or beating in the chest. Temporary PVCs can be caused by stress, alcohol, and coffee.

There’s a reason physicians prescribe sports drinks after physical activity. To beat, the heart requires tiny amounts of metal known as electrolytes. Too little or too much sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium slows or speeds up the heart, putting it in danger.

 

To Determine Health Before Medical Procedures or Physical Exertion

Although most people do not require an ECG before minor operations, it is frequently used as a preoperative examination to clear patients for surgery. The objective is to lower the chances of having a heart attack while under anesthesia. While there is no guarantee that problems will not arise, knowing what to expect allows the surgeon to establish a backup plan for at-risk patients.

Major surgery can induce bleeding and modify the volume and placement of fluids in the body, and anesthesia can create blood pressure and heart rate abnormalities. Joint replacement and surgical operations on the spine, chest area, abdomen area, and head are examples of major surgeries.

EKGs can also track the effectiveness of drugs used to treat heart failure or other cardiac disorders. An irregular EKG may necessitate a medical treatment or a drug modification.

 

To Check for Heart-Related Damage Caused by Other Conditions

High blood pressure, often known as hypertension, can create issues before symptoms appear. Hypertension raises the risk of artery blockage, an oversized heart, and heart failure. If the heart does not get a new supply of oxygenated blood, the heart muscle slowly diminishes until a cardiac event happens. As a result, blood flows more vigorously, causing arterial walls to be damaged.

High levels of blood sugar can also harm the neurons and blood arteries that control the heart. People who suffer from diabetes are more prone to have co-occurring illnesses such as diabetes and cardiac issues.

 

To Get a Baseline EKG to Compare With Future Results

Everybody has a heartbeat that is unique to them. If an EKG is performed before a problem occurs, it can be used as a standard when the heartbeat changes or anomalies appear. In addition, doctors might utilize advanced charts to track changes and make drug adjustments.

 

When is an EKG Not Helpful?

The benefits of EKG are not always there to be achieved. Sometimes, doing an EKG is not helpful. EKGs (electrocardiograms) measure the heart’s electrical activity at rest. In addition, it shows if the heart is enlarged due to a previous heart attack (myocardial infarction) or high blood pressure (hypertension). Unfortunately, although it can predict your future risk of a heart attack, it cannot diagnose asymptomatic blockages in your heart arteries.

ECGs taken during resting are different from those taken during exercise or stress. You might need an ECG test when you suffer from symptoms such as palpitations or chest pain or have risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure. You may also require it if you already have heart problems. However, in some instances, you may want to reconsider having this test.

 

Nearby EKG Center In Las Vegas

If you reside in Las Vegas and are unable to travel to medical centers for diagnostic tests such as ECGs, we can do this test from your house with great accuracy.

Health & Care Professional Network, LLC aims to provide our customers with a complete home health care program of the best quality in their homes. In addition, we are dedicated to providing the best home health care services to help our customers recover from sickness or disability.

Have you done an EKG or ECG test? If yes, write about your experience in the comment section.

 

FAQ

Can anxiety cause abnormal EKG?

Short-term uneasiness can also interfere with ECG readings in people who do not have a documented clinical history of anxiety or other mental health disorders. In one case study, such anxiety resulted in quadrigeminy in all ECG leads.

 

Can you have heart disease with a normal EKG?
A heart attack can occur with a normal EKG result. One disadvantage of EKG is that it cannot detect asymptomatic artery blockages that might put you at risk of a future heart attack.

 

Is it possible to identify a blood clot with an EKG?
Other examinations: An X-ray or ECG / EKG is not typically suggested for the diagnosis of a blood clot, although it may be sought if there is evidence of additional issues pertaining to specific symptoms.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *