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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can An EKG Show A Heart Attack ?

Can an EKG show a heart attack that happened days, weeks, months or even years before?
posted on Wed, 16 Dec 2009
Twitter Wed, 16 Dec 2009 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 16 Dec 2009 Last reviewed on
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Definitely. An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a recording of the heart's electrical activity as a graph or series of wave lines on a moving strip of paper. This gives the physician important information about the heart. For example, it can show the heart's rate and rhythm. It can also detect decreased blood flow , enlargement of the heart or the presence of either current or past heart attacks. Depending on what the results show, in combination with the patient's medical history and a physical exam, the physician may order further tests or a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. I have peformed thousands of EKG's when I use to work in the ER and they always showed past heart attacks, some were days before, weeks before, months before, or even years before. Click these links if you would like more info regarding EKG's showing past and present heart attacks: http://www.medinamemorial.org/WebModules/ServiceCategories/ServiceCategoriesDetail.aspx?id=14&cid=1#ekg http://www.hospitalinfonet.com/Modules/Content/User/ShowNews.aspx?tNewsID=108
Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.
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Can An EKG Show A Heart Attack ?

Definitely. An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a recording of the heart s electrical activity as a graph or series of wave lines on a moving strip of paper. This gives the physician important information about the heart. For example, it can show the heart s rate and rhythm. It can also detect decreased blood flow , enlargement of the heart or the presence of either current or past heart attacks. Depending on what the results show, in combination with the patient s medical history and a physical exam, the physician may order further tests or a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. I have peformed thousands of EKG s when I use to work in the ER and they always showed past heart attacks, some were days before, weeks before, months before, or even years before. Click these links if you would like more info regarding EKG s showing past and present heart attacks: http://www.medinamemorial.org/WebModules/ServiceCategories/ServiceCategoriesDetail.aspx?id=14 cid=1#ekg http://www.hospitalinfonet.com/Modules/Content/User/ShowNews.aspx?tNewsID=108