ECG in Slavuta

How to prepare for an ECG

A resting ECG needs no special preparation. You can eat, drink and take your usual medicines as normal. On the day of the test, don’t put cream, oil or talc on your chest, because electrodes don’t stick well to such skin.

Wear something you can easily take off to the waist. Electrodes also go on your wrists and ankles, so women may find it easier to come without tights. Men sometimes have small patches of chest hair shaved where the electrodes go.

Arrive a few minutes early and sit quietly. After a brisk walk or climbing stairs your pulse is faster, and for a resting ECG your heart needs to settle. If you have old ECGs or hospital discharge summaries, bring them: the doctor will compare your previous ECG with the new one and see what has changed. Also write down which medicines you take and the doses, because some of them change the ECG.

How the ECG is recorded

You lie on your back on a couch. Six electrodes go on your chest and four more on your arms and legs, each connected to the machine by a thin wire. Twelve leads means the machine records the electrical activity of your heart from twelve different angles, so the doctor can see different areas of the heart muscle.

During the recording, lie still, breathe calmly and don’t talk, because muscle movement also produces signals that interfere. The recording itself takes a few minutes. The machine only picks up signals your heart produces on its own and sends nothing into your body, so you won’t feel any current. An ECG involves no radiation either, so it can be done during pregnancy and repeated as often as your doctor needs.

What an ECG shows and when you need a Holter

An ECG shows how fast and how regularly your heart beats, and whether there are rhythm or conduction problems, signs of reduced blood supply to the heart muscle or a past heart attack. Doctors don’t make a diagnosis from the ECG alone. They look at it together with your symptoms, an examination and other tests if needed. If the ECG shows changes, the cardiologist may order a heart ultrasound to look at the heart walls and valves.

A standard ECG shows only a few minutes of your heart’s work. Skipped beats or bouts of palpitations that happen once a day or at night may not show up on it. In that case the doctor orders Holter ECG monitoring: the device records every heartbeat for one or two days, or up to seven if needed. If you’re being treated for blood pressure, also read what to do if your blood pressure is high.

Severe chest pain that doesn’t pass within a few minutes, struggling to breathe or fainting need emergency care. In that case call an ambulance on 103 and don’t wait for a planned ECG.

When the ECG is free

The ECG is part of primary care. If you’ve signed a declaration with a Viva Clinic family doctor, your ECG is free with their referral. Without a declaration, the ECG is paid. To see what else a declaration gives you, read what a family doctor declaration covers.

A Viva Clinic cardiologist records an ECG at your very first visit, and the internist does one on the spot when it’s needed. So you don’t have to book a separate ECG before seeing a cardiologist in Slavuta. The ECG is done at the polyclinic at 27a Sobornosti St, where you can also have an ultrasound, Holter monitoring, spirometry and other tests without traveling to Khmelnytskyi or Kyiv.