The resting electrocardiogram (ECG) is a simple and innocuous test, free of adverse effects for the patient in which we can observe the electrical activity of the heart.

This electrical activity is recorded from the patient’s body surface by means of electrodes and plotted on paper through a graphical representation by waves representing the electrical stimuli of the atria and ventricles.

How the test is performed

For this test, the patient must be relaxed, not talking and in a lying position.

Before starting the test we place 10 electrodes on the ankles, wrists and chest that will provide us with the information related to the electrical activity of the heart produced in each heartbeat from different points of the body and thus be able to detect any underlying cardiac pathology.

*Depending on the patient, it may be necessary to shave the hair in that area.

Once the electrodes are placed, we measure the rhythm and regularity of the heartbeat, the size and position of the atria and ventricles, as well as any alterations that the heart may have and the effects that certain drugs or implanted devices (pacemakers) may have on it.

The electrocardiogram of a healthy person has a particular tracing. In cases where changes appear in that tracing, we analyze them to determine if there is a problem.

Alterations in the tracing are essential for the detection and analysis of cardiac arrhythmias. It is also very useful in acute episodes of coronary artery disease, such as myocardial infarction.

For whom is it indicated?

It is a medical act that must be performed to all those who practice any sporting activity, in order to rule out any pathology that contraindicates the practice of sports.

On many occasions we find patients with disorders that are functional (part of the normal function of the heart, they are not pathological), either because they are children (infantile disorders), or because they are athletes who accumulate a lot of training load (which generates a remodeling of the cardiac muscle and gives rise to the so-called athlete’s heart) or due to genetic issues.

The study of precordial pain or the control of various cardiopathies requires the performance of a baseline electrocardiogram. Sports fitness certificates also require an ECG at rest in order to rule out pathologies that could imply cardiovascular risk during sports practice.