ECG

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Atrioventricular block, EKG tracing

ECG

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

High blood pressure tests

Electrocardiogram; EKG

• Heart rate: 50 to 100 beats per minute.
• Rhythm: consistent and even.

Abnormal ECG results may indicate the following:

• Myocardial (cardiac muscle) defect
• Enlargement of the heart
• Congenital defects
• Heart valve disease
• Arrhythmias (abnormal rhythms)
• Tachycardia (heart rate too fast) or bradycardia (too slow)
• Ectopic heartbeat
• Coronary artery disease
• Inflammation of the heart ( myocarditis )
• Changes in the amount of electrolytes (chemicals in the blood)
• Past heart attack
• Present or impending heart attack

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed include the following:

• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
• Anorexia nervosa
• Aortic dissection
• Aortic insufficiency
• Aortic stenosis
• Atrial fibrillation/flutter
• Atrial myxoma
• Atrial septal defect
• Cardiac tamponade
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Complicated alcohol abstinence (delirium tremens)
• Coronary artery spasm
• Digitalis toxicity
• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Drug-induced lupus erythematosus
• Familial periodic paralysis
• Guillain-Barre
• Heart failure
• Hyperkalemia
• Hypertensive heart disease
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Hypoparathyroidism
• Idiopathic cardiomyopathy
• Infective endocarditis
• Insomnia
• Ischemic cardiomyopathy
• Left-sided heart failure
• Lyme disease
• Mitral regurgitation; acute
• Mitral regurgitation; chronic
• Mitral stenosis
• Mitral valve prolapse
• Multifocal atrial tachycardia
• Narcolepsy
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Pericarditis
  • Bacterial pericarditis
  • Constrictive pericarditis
  • Post-MI pericarditis
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy
• Primary amyloid
• Primary hyperaldosteronism
• Primary hyperparathyroidism
• Primary pulmonary hypertension
• Pulmonary embolus
• Pulmonary valve stenosis
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy
• Right-sided heart failure
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Stable angina
• Stroke
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Transposition of the great vessels
• Tricuspid regurgitation
• Type 2 diabetes
• Unstable angina
• Ventricular septal defect
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Review Date: 07/17/2006
Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.