Boston: Abnormal ECG Results in Adults

Boston,

The ECG or an electrocardiogram is a test that monitors and measures electrical activity in the heart. A normal ECG would indicate a heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. It would further indicate a regular and even rhythm.

The heart may malfunction due to drugs, aging, illness or trauma and ECG results could be abnormal as a consequence. An ECG could detect abnormalities too, such as changes in electrical impulse transmission, incidence of a prior heart attack, or the presence of blocked arteries.

If you belong to a family with a history of heart disease, the physician will recommend an ECG. If you have chest pain, or an extremely high pulse rate, you will be asked to have an ECG done immediately.

A normal ECG graph will have small dips and spikes. An ECG reading which deviates from the standard norm will indicate abnormalities. The dips or spikes may be too close or too far apart, or missing entirely. Cardiologists are trained to spot such abnormalities.

An ECG can detect several abnormalities:

• Heart valve disease: This may cause problems like regurgitation or stenosis. When regurgitation occurs, the blood flows backwards into the heart instead of forwards into the artery. In stenosis, the heart valves thicken or fuse together. Heart valve problems could cause excess fluid to accumulate in the body and eventually lead to heart failure, stroke or blood clots.

• Arrhythmias: Irregular heartbeats may be too fast or too slow. Rapid heartbeats are called tachycardia, and slow heartbeats are called bradycardia. Arrhythmia can occur due to old age, gene defects, thyroid problems, obesity, diabetes or alcohol consumption

• Coronary artery disease or CAD occurs when the arteries become narrow due to buildup of plaque and other fatty substances in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Risk factors for CAD include diabetes, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, drug abuse, kidney disease or lack of exercise.

• Heart Block occurs when there is a malfunctioning of signals from the atria or upper chambers of the heart to the ventricles. There are 3 types of heart blocks: first degree where a beat is skipped, second degree where beats are skipped and the heart rate slows and third degree which requires an artificial pacemaker to regulate the heartbeat.

Abnormal ECG can also result from other cardiac problems such as inflammation of the heart, heart attack in the past or the present, or an impending cardiac attack.

Often the physician will order more tests since heart problems may not be present all the time. When heart problems are suspected but not recorded on the ECG, the doctor may advise the patient to wear a Holter monitor. The latter records heart activity for a period of 24 hours.

Some heart related problems do not occur when the patient is at rest. They manifest themselves when the patient is exercising, or is under undue stress. The physician may recommend further tests such as Echocardiogram or a stress ECG.

Source by Himanshu Sharma

Abnormal ECG Results in Adults