Your heart is one of your body’s most important organs, so it’s best to take good care of it. Whenever possible, you should do everything to maintain your health, like eating the right foods, exercising, and getting enough sleep.
However, the heart is prone to diseases, and you may be faced with chest pains and attacks that will keep you in bed for days. When the symptoms occur, it is important to get an EKG or an electrocardiogram to check your heart’s overall condition.
Where Can You Go for an EKG?
Usually, urgent care centers near you or emergency rooms in the hospitals can provide these services for you. Fortunately, you can get urgent care with EKG in many clinics today without the need to go to the ER. You can also pay less and go to the medical facility without an appointment. You can call the number of your nearest health care clinic and see if they offer these services before going.
The best time to go to an urgent care center is during office hours, where there are technicians that will operate the necessary devices. You will usually face lesser queues and get the treatment in the fastest way possible. Many ERs, on the other hand, provide remedies for emergencies, especially if your chest starts to hurt. If other patients have a more severe condition than yours, then you may have to wait for a bit more before getting attended.
The purpose of going into an urgent care clinic is to get treatments and maintenance for the heart before the underlying disease becomes worse. If you are experiencing mild chest pains, you may want to get to the nearest clinic as soon as possible. However, if you know that you have a heart attack, the emergency centers are better equipped to deal with these kinds of situations, and they can prevent any fatal cases before they happen.
Since the emergency rooms are usually open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can always go to them when you notice that breathing becomes difficult and your chest pains become unbearable. If there’s an urgent care facility near your area, you may want to know if they are also open during the weekends, holidays, and at night.
About EKG
EKG or ECG is a test that will show the electrical activity of your heart. If there are issues that need immediate treatment, the EKG will show it to the doctors. You can know more about electrocardiograms on this site here.
The heart has a natural electrical system that allows the pumping and contractions of the blood. If this system does not work the way it is intended to, the body will become affected by the blood’s reduced flow. Other uses of the EKG include the following:
- Knowing your Heart Rhythm
- Ischemia
- Check for Possible Heart Attacks
- Detect Abnormalities like Thickened Muscles around the Heart
What Does the EKG Show?
There are two kinds of information that the EKG reveals, and they are the following: The time it will take for the electrical waves to pass through the organs. If the waves take a very long time or they are too slow, then there are underlying issues that need to be addressed. The second thing that the EKG shows is the electrical activity of the heart. The doctors will observe if you have an overworked circulatory system, and he may prescribe the right medications.
Expectations During the Procedure
A technician will help attach about ten electrodes to your chest, legs, and arms as you lie on a table. The computer will show electrical impulses and other images through your heart. Read more about the electrical impulses here: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/anatomyvideos/000021.htm. The resting process is common for many people.
The same thing can be said while you are running. The doctors will use each of the graphs and images to compare, and they will determine if there are problems. Other times, the doctor may prescribe that you undergo additional tests aside from the EKG to know more about your condition. The Holter monitor is a portable EKG that allows you to monitor your heart rate for two days. This can be suggested if the physician suspects that you have an irregular heart rhythm.