What’s an EKG, G?
12-Lead ECG Readout - Courtesty of MoodyGroove
The EKG…well first off, it really should be E-C-G…The ECG is a ubiquitous symbol frequently used to represent health care in a variety of settings. On medical TV shows, you will frequently hear the blip of an ECG in the background. On things from billboards to stationary, an ECG wave is used in forms from clip art to an iconic logo. Since the ECG is such a common symbol, it should be interesting for us to take a look at it. So what is an ECG and what does it tell us?
Electrocardiography is a tool medical professionals use to map the electrical activity in the heart. A common misconception is that it directly represents the beating of the heart when in actuality it is just mapping the electrical signals which trigger the mechanical actions of cardiac muscle. So you are able to see information about the timing of cardiac events (e.g. atrial fibrillation), but not necessarily the quality of those events (e.g. valve prolapse or regurgitation).
