Overview Of An Electrocardiogram

Interpreting The Results

Of course, the technician or doctor must interpret the results of an electrocardiogram. They do this by reading the results strip, which is where the patient's heartbeat is recorded as a wave. The doctor will know when these waves indicate that the heart is pumping blood and contracting normally. The waves also show how long it takes for the electrical signals to travel through the various chambers of the heart!

Sometimes, natural structures slow down the electrical signals. One such structure is the atrioventricular node! The good news is that the technician can differentiate this type of delay from an abnormal one. The signals will show evidence of a heartbeat that is too fast or too slow. Technicians must also interpret readings involving the patient's breathing rate, blood pressure, and carbon dioxide levels in some forms of electrocardiograms.