What should you know about an electro cardio machine?

The device is commonly called an ECG machine or EKG machine. It does not send electricity into your body and it does not treat a heart condition. Instead, it turns the heart’s electrical signals into lines on a tracing, which can be reviewed alongside your symptoms, examination and medical history.

An ECG may help a clinician assess whether the heartbeat is regular, how quickly it is beating and how electrical signals move through the heart. It can provide clues about rhythm problems, reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, or changes that may occur with some heart conditions.

A normal-looking tracing does not explain every type of chest discomfort, faintness or breathlessness. Some heart rhythm changes come and go, so a brief recording may not capture them. Your clinician may recommend a longer monitor, blood tests or imaging when the symptoms and the first tracing do not match.

You normally lie still while a healthcare professional places small adhesive sensors on the chest and sometimes on the arms and legs. The skin may be cleaned first, and excess hair may need to be trimmed so the sensors stay attached. You may be asked to relax and breathe normally while the machine records the signals.

The test is usually brief. It is not the same as an exercise ECG, which records the heart while you walk or cycle, and it is different from a wearable pulse monitor. Wear loose clothing if possible, and tell the clinician about skin sensitivity or difficulty lying flat.

Learn more about the equipment in [ECG Machine](/technology/ecg-machine/) and the test itself in [Electrocardiogram](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/ecg/).

Seek emergency help for chest pressure or pain that is severe, persistent or spreading to the arm, back, neck or jaw, especially if it occurs with sweating, nausea, marked breathlessness, collapse or a feeling of an irregular heartbeat. Do not wait for an ECG appointment when these symptoms are happening.

Arrange prompt medical assessment for new palpitations, repeated fainting, unexplained breathlessness or reduced exercise tolerance. A [GP Consultation](/treatments/consultations-and-assessment/gp-consultation/) can help decide whether an ECG or another test is appropriate. An ECG may be part of an assessment for [Angina](/conditions/angina/), [Atrial Fibrillation](/conditions/atrial-fibrillation/) or [Heart Failure](/conditions/heart-failure/), but the tracing alone does not establish any of these diagnoses.

Ask what the ECG was intended to assess, whether the tracing showed a rhythm or conduction change, and whether your symptoms require monitoring beyond the recording. You can also ask whether medicines, caffeine, activity or an existing heart condition could affect the result, and when you should seek urgent help if symptoms return.