If the doctor suspects the abnormal EKG is a result of normal variances in the human heart, they may recommend no treatment at all. If a certain medication is causing the abnormal readings, they may recommend an alternative. If the doctor suspects that a person has an electrolyte imbalance, they may suggest fluids or medications that contain electrolytes. Other issues may require more individualized treatments.
An arrhythmia may or may not require treatment. Anyone having a heart attack will need emergency medical treatment. The person may also need to undergo surgeries such as angioplasty to keep the blood flowing and reduce damage to the tissues.
Many people will get an EKG reading at some point in their lives, often due to experiencing common symptoms such as chronic chest pain, shortness of breath, or a rapid pulse. Another reason to get an EKG is experiencing heart palpitations or arrhythmia. A person may feel as though their heart skips a beat, that their heart is fluttering, or that it is beating very strongly. Doctors may recommend an EKG here to check for any underlying issues.
They may order additional tests depending on the results. An EKG is a risk-free and noninvasive procedure. It does not send electricity into the body and will not cause any pain. It is an important tool for diagnosing conditions affecting the heart.
Most people will undergo an EKG at some point. Although having an abnormal EKG can seem scary, it is important to understand that it is just one part of a proper diagnosis. Many things can cause an abnormal EKG, and not all of them are dangerous. Many automatic processes in the body run on small electric currents, and electrolytes provide this charge. Electrolytes are present throughout the…. Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, can lead to fatal heart complications if it reaches a severe enough stage.
A doctor can identify some types of atrial…. Here, learn to recognize a heart attack and what to do next. We also describe treatment and recovery and provide tips for prevention. What causes an abnormal EKG result? An EKG is a useful tool that helps medical providers evaluate how much oxygen your heart is getting and intervene immediately if your heart is ischemic to prevent catastrophic complications. A healthy heart is about the size of your fist, located just left of center in your chest.
However, there are some medical conditions that can cause cardiomegaly an abnormally enlarged heart. Causes include untreated high blood pressure, viral infections of the cardiac muscle, advanced age and heart failure.
Often cardiomegaly shows up on an EKG as abnormally large waveforms, which can alert your medical provider to a serious underlying condition. We offer an easy check-in process and short wait times. Even if you do this, you're still likely to get rapid care. The person who greets you might be a receptionist rather than a doctor or nurse, but most emergency departments follow a specific protocol for a suspected heart attack.
A doctor then interprets the ECG, which will reveal if you're having a major heart attack, in which an artery feeding your heart is blocked, choking off the blood supply to part of your heart muscle.
This usually creates a distinct signature on the ECG and means you'll quickly receive treatment to open the blocked artery. But not all heart attacks show up on the first ECG. So even if it looks normal, you're still not out of the woods, says Dr. The next step is an evaluation by a doctor or other clinician, who will ask about your medical history and details about the location, duration, and intensity of your symptoms.
You'll also have a blood test to measure troponin, a protein that rises in response to heart muscle damage. This blood test is very sensitive. But keep in mind that elevated levels don't always show up right away.
That's why doctors sometimes have people stay for several hours to get a follow-up troponin measurement. Other possible tests include a chest x-ray to look for alternative causes of chest discomfort, such as pneumonia or heart failure. A doctor also might give you a trial of medication to see whether it relieves your symptoms, and additional ECGs may be performed over time.
Often, if several troponin tests come back normal, the doctor may want to check your risk of a future heart attack with an exercise stress test. This test can reveal how your heart responds to the demands of increased blood flow needed during exercise. During a standard exercise test, you walk on a treadmill at progressively faster speeds, while trained staff monitors your heart's electrical activity, your heart rate, and your blood pressure.
An imaging test may also be performed to quantify the degree of blood flow to the heart. One option is an echocardiogram, a noninvasive test that involves placing an ultrasound probe on your chest to create a moving image of your beating heart.
Restricted blood flow in the heart's arteries changes the movement of the heart, which an experienced echocardiographer can detect. Another option is a nuclear perfusion test, which entails injecting a radioactive substance called a tracer into a vein. The tracer then travels through your blood to your heart. A special camera that records the radioactive particles emitted from the tracer circles around the heart, taking images from multiple angles. A computer then combines these images to create a detailed picture of the blood flow to the heart.
In certain situations, if the source of your symptoms remains unclear, a physician might order a computed tomography angiography CTA scan.
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