Electrocardiogram
Providing Electrocardiogram Services in Dallas, PA
At Back Mountain Veterinary Hospital in Dallas, PA uses an Electrocardiogram (EKG) as part of its cardiac testing, which is a non-invasive test measuring the electrical activity of the heart.
There are many issues an EKG reading can detect:
- Enlargement of one or more chambers of the heart
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Monitoring Medications effect on the heart (for better or worse)
- Conduction Disturbances
EKG are often recorded whenever a heart rhythm problem is suspected. For pets with arrhythmias, they wear a recording box for 24 hours and the EKG is continuously recording. It should be noted that EKGs are not 100 percent accurate, but they can help track changes over a period of time to detect issues.
An EKG can a be a screening test for heart disease, but it doesn’t detect all heart problems. These are usually coupled with a stethoscope, chest x-ray, and echocardiogram. A routine EKG takes approximately 5-10 minutes to perform and can be sent to a cardiologist to interpret within 24 hours. The procedure is noninvasive and isn’t painful.