An electrocardiogram, referred to as an ECG or an EKG, is a test used by providers to determine if your heart has sustained any damage due to untreated hypertension or atherosclerosis. During the course of beating, your heart emits electrical signals. The pattern of these signals, when examined from different angles, gives your provider an overall picture of your heart from a functional standpoint.

The EKG test is performed by placing sticky patches called electrodes on specific locations of your body including both arms, both legs, and over your heart. The electrical activity is detected by these electrodes and recorded on paper as a waveform. A single contraction is seen as a collection of lines, some going up and some going down, known as “waves.” There is the P-wave, the T-wave and the QRS complex. This collection of waves may look different depending upon which specific electrodes are collecting the information. For example, the electrodes that are placed on the left side of your chest give views of the front and sides of your heart, while information from other collections of electrodes can give the bottom view.

When your EKG is reviewed, your provider looks at the waves to see if they go up high or down low, if they are wide or narrow and/or if there are any differences in the shape of the waves. From this information, your provider can evaluate how effectively your heart is functioning, and how hard your heart is working to do its job.