Are Ekg’s Accurate or Not?

Published February 23, 2014

Question by Marcus: Are ekg’s accurate or not?
I had and ekg for my heart (19 175 pounds and fit) and everything came back clear including xrays. I got the ekg done because ive been having sharp pains throughout my left side of my chest/arm and was worried. Well now its slowed down but still seems to happen, especially when i work out. So are ekg’s really that accurate?

Best answer:

Answer by lrd00a
EKG’s are pretty accurate, but they don’t always catch a heart attack. Non ST elevated MI’s (heart attacks that don’t show up on EKG’s) will not show up because of which coronary artery the blockage is in.

Blood tests will show elevated cardiac enzymes (elevated Troponin) if there is a heart attack going on, or possibly heart failure. Also, CT of the arteries and/or heart catheterization will show if/where the blockage is.

You’re 19 and work out, so unless you have heart problems in your family, it’s probably something else. It could be a problem with the lungs (asthma), or a pulled muscle?

Answer by Mary Boo
Doctors at Wayne State University in Detroit have found that patients with normal EKGs after a heart attack are about three times as likely to die as was previously thought, a finding that suggests the patients should be given much more aggressive treatment.

An abnormal EKG is one of the primary signs of a heart attack. Such patients are normally given intensive treatment, such as angioplasty, bypass surgery and blood-thinning drugs. But some patients have a seemingly normal EKG. Their heart attack is detected by the presence in blood of enzymes released by damaged heart tissue. Because their EKGs are normal, however, physicians have usually given these patients only minimal treatment.
http://www.globalaging.org/health/us/EKGstatuspatient.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVC7c0l9HEE

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