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Patient Education: Diseases Conditions Treatments & Procedures

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Overview

Your doctor has requested an electrocardiogram to monitor your heart. Each beat of your heart is triggered by an electrical impulse normally generated from special cells in the upper right chamber of your heart. An electrocardiogram, also called an ECG or EKG, records these electric signals as they travel through your heart. An electrocardiogram can be used to look for patterns among these heartbeats and rhythms to diagnose various heart conditions.

This test is noninvasive and painless, and may help to diagnose many common types of heart problems including:

  • Irregularities in your heart rhythm (arrhythmias)
  • Heart defects
  • Problems with your heart's valves
  • Blocked or narrowed arteries in your heart
  • A heart attack, in emergency situations
  • A previous heart attack

Location: MG-202 (M-wing, Ground Floor, Room 202) and 416-480-4007 (Please note: to receive an ECG at Sunnybrook, you must have a referral from a Sunnybrook physician)