Electrocardiogram Essay

1470 Words6 Pages
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Electrocardiogram is a simple, painless test that measures and records the electrical activity of the heart. The heart is a muscular organ that beats in rhythm to pump the blood through the body. With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. As it travels, the signal causes the heart to contract and pump blood. The process repeats with each new heartbeat. The signals that make the heart's muscle fibres contract come from the sinoatrial node, which is the natural pacemaker of the heart. In an ECG test, the electrical impulses made while the heart is beating are recorded and usually shown on a piece of paper. This is known as an electrocardiogram, and records any problems with the heart's rhythm, and the conduction of the heart beat through the heart which may be affected by underlying heart disease. ECG shows how fast the heart is beating, whether the rhythm of the heartbeat is steady or irregular and also the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart. Medical professionals use ECG to detect and study many heart problems, such as heart attacks, arrhythmias and heart failure. The test’s results also can suggest other disorders that affect heart failure. Health history is a collection of information obtained from the patients and from other sources concerning the patient’s physical status as well as his or her psychological, social and sexual function (Mcfrerran, 2008). Health history will be based on a 45 year old iTaukei lady living in Cunningham Stage 1 with her husband and three sons. Her name is Sera. She is a kindergarten teacher for about 18 years while her husband is working in government office. She had a great curiosity about her chest pain. One day while she was doing gardening in her back yard she felt her left side was very painful especially
Open Document