What Is an Electrocardiogram?

By jolene

Article Sources

Medical Expert

More About Us

10. Diagnosis and Artifacts

There are many diagnoses and findings that can be seen on an ECG tracing. Diagnoses can be made based on the patterns seen on the tracing. For example, when there is an ST depression or inversion of the T waves, it may imply that there is ischemia or a non-ST elevation heart attack. In heart attacks with ST elevation, the earliest change in the ECG would be hyperacute T waves, which then progresses to ST segment elevation. A pathologic Q wave may be seen and the T waves may invert. Artifacts in an ECG tracing occurs when the patient moves during ECG. This can be due to shivering or tremors, which can create the illusion of an arrhythmia. Artifacts can also occur due to an external source such as interference from an electrical device.