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Can Anyone Get A Pacemaker If His EKG Is Normal?
My dad had an EKG done and all looked good. Less then a week later he had a stress test. The stress tested showed his heart rate didn't speed up like it should during exercise and even slowed down to 45 while walking fast. The next day he got a pace maker. So if he needed a pace maker why was the EKG all clear???
posted on
Fri, 18 Dec 2009
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 18 Dec 2009
Answered on
Wed, 8 Jun 2011
Last reviewed on
User's Response
karenrosel_'s
Response
EKGs are done at rest. if there's an abnormal rhythm then it will show that. bradycardia (slow heartrate) may or may not have shown on it. the stress test examines the heart's reaction to exercise (not at rest). that's why there was a difference.
EKG records the electical activities of the heart in resting condition of that particular time when EKG was taken.It doesn't show the abnormalities that occur after or before taking EKG & it also doesn't show the haemodynamiic response as shown by the stress test. Thus EKG has a limited role to play for the diagnosis of heart ppoblem.
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