Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a fancy word for a test that helps doctors check the electrical activity in your heart. It is like taking a picture of your heart to see how it is working.

Here's how it works:

The heart is like your body's own personal power plant that beats and pushes blood around your body. The electricity that keeps the heart beating is what an ECG measures.

When you get an ECG, you would typically lie down, and special sticky pads called electrodes would be placed on your chest, arms, and legs. These electrodes carry the electricity from your heart to a machine that records the activity.

As your heart beats, the electrodes record the electrical activity and create a picture of a squiggly line on a piece of paper or a computer screen. A doctor who is trained to read the lines (ECG technician or cardiologist) looks at the picture to determine if your heart is healthy or not.

So, think of an ECG as a way to take a picture of your heart's electrical system to help your doctor check your heart's health. It's important to get an ECG because it can help detect heart problems before they become more serious.