EKG vs ECG | What’s the Difference Between ECG and EKG?

ECG and EKG are abbreviations for electrocardiogram. There is no difference between them. These abbreviations are used to describe a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart.

ECGs and EKGs are tools used to detect a wide range of heart dysrhythmias. There are several different types of ECG monitors including but not limited to Cardiopulmonary exercise tests, exercise EKGs (stress tests), Holter monitors, Resting 12-lead EKGs, and signal-averaged electrocardiograms.

Multiple different lead systems and constellations of leads have been tested, but the standard 12-lead ECG is the most common in the medical field. The 12-lead ECG offers numerous possibilities for diagnosing abnormalities. It displays 12 leads which are derived from 10 electrodes that are placed on the body. An electrode is a conductive pad that is attached to the skin to record electrical currents.

The first practical electrocardiogram was invented in 1901 by Willem Einthoven. He created what’s referred to as a string galvanometer. Also called an Einthoven galvanometer, this device featured an increased sensitivity compared to the current standard galvanometer of the time. The increased sensitivity allowed for more accurate recordings of the heart’s electrical activity despite the insulation of flesh and bones.

This was one of the earliest devices that were capable of recording the small electrical currents produced by the human heart. Patients were seated with both arms and 1 leg in separate buckets filled with saline solution. These buckets acted as electrodes to conduct the current from the skin to the filament in the device. The three points of electrode contact on these limbs produce what is now referred to as Einthoven’s triangle, a principle that is still used in ECG recording today.

ECGs help doctors and other medical professionals diagnose a wide variety of heart problems. ECGs typically don’t cost that much and is a noninvasive procedure. Heart diseases can cause many symptoms, some of which can be similar to signs of other diseases. Your doctor or physician may order you to get an EKG for the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Fatigue/weakness
• Racing or fluttering heartbeats
• Breathing problems

We have been using these devices to measure two important pieces of information. The first is measuring the time intervals between waves to help determine how long the electrical waves take to pass through the heart. The second is by measuring the amount of activity passing through the heart muscle.

Different heart problems can change and alter the electrical pattern your heart produces. Using the results from your EKG test, your doctor will be able to assess if you have:

• Arrhythmia / Irregular heartbeat
• Congenital heart defects
• Coronary artery diseases or a lack of blood flow
• Heart failure
• Pericarditis
• Thick or enlarged heart muscles
• and more!

Reading an ECG or EKG can be tough. The first thing the clinician will do is take your vital signs. Assessing an individual’s vitals will give the clinician an idea if anything is immediately wrong. The first thing to know about ECGs is the waveforms. There is a P wave, the PR interval, and the QT interval which contains the QRS complex, the ST segment, and the T wave. There are a lot of variables to take into consideration when reading an ECG like current medications and medical history. Knowing this will help determine if the waves are regular or irregular after attaching the 12 leads to the patient. Continue reading here to learn how to read an EKG machine.