BIO-SCAN

Your doctor may suggest you get an electrocardiogram -- also called an EKG or ECG -- to check for signs of heart disease. It's a test that records the electrical activity of your ticker through small electrode patches that a technician attaches to the skin of your chest, arms, and legs.

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EKGs are quick, safe, and painless. With this test, your doctor will be able to:

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• Check your heart rhythm

• See if you have poor blood flow to your heart muscle (this is called ischemia)

• Diagnose a heart attack

• Check on things that are abnormal, such as thickened heart muscle

 

How Should I Prepare?

Some things you can do to get yourself ready:

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• Avoid oily or greasy skin creams and lotions the day of the test because they can keep the electrodes from making contact with your skin.

• Avoid full-length hosiery, because electrodes need to be placed directly on your legs.

• Wear a shirt that you can remove easily to place the leads on your chest.