Strong Heart and Vascular Center

Diagnosis

Non-Invasive Tests

Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)

This is a familiar, painless test in which electrodes are put on the chest, arms and legs to monitor and record the heart’s electrical activity. The record appears as a graph or series of wave lines on a monitor or a long strip of paper. An EKG gives information about the heart’s rate and rhythm, and can suggest the presence of a past or current heart attack.

• A signal averaged EKG (or high resolution ECG or "late potential study") uses a computer to amplify and enhance very small electrical impulses in the heart. This helps cardiologists predict who may suffer dangerous ventricular (lower chamber) arrhythmias.

• A stress test or exercise tolerance test (ETT): is an EKG done while you are exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle. These results are compared with those from when you’re at rest, to show how your heart reacts to exercise and exertion.

  • Stress tests are often done at the same time as an echocardiogram. This combination is called a "stress echo." This type of test is sometimes done at the same time as a myocardial perfusion scan (see nuclear cardiology tests). More information on stress tests

  • If you aren’t able to exercise, for whatever reason, you can take
    an injection of a drug that makes your heart react as if you were
    exercising (see echocardiogram.)

More information on electrocardiograms