For patients with symptoms of a heart problem, an electrocardiogram, or EKG, is an important test. Board-certified internist Dr. Rene Reyes of Reyes and Reyes, MD, PA, offers EKG testing for patients in Hollywood, Florida, and the surrounding area. Patients can schedule an EKG by contacting Reyes and Reyes, MD, PA.
An EKG is a test that looks for problems with the electrical activity in the heart. This test depicts electrical activity as line tracings that Dr. Reyes can evaluate. Abnormalities in those tracings may indicate specific problems with the heart.
Dr. Reyes may recommend an EKG for several reasons, including:
During an EKG, you’ll be asked to expose your chest. Dr. Reyes or another member of the staff will attach several electrodes to your chest to measure your heart’s activity. These electrodes are connected to a machine that produces line tracings based on the measured electrical activity.
You should lie still during the test and may need to hold your breath temporarily. Most EKGs are complete within 10 minutes or less.
The results of the EKG may be normal or abnormal. A normal EKG means that the line tracings followed an expected pattern; test results are abnormal if the line tracings didn’t follow a normal pattern. An abnormal test may indicate that the heart was beating too slowly, too quickly, or irregularly.
If the EKG is abnormal, Dr. Reyes will usually order further testing to investigate the issue. If the EKG is normal, further testing may or may not be needed.
EKGs are noninvasive and unlikely to cause any side effects or complications. However, in some cases, an EKG may be normal even when a problem is present. For this reason, Dr. Reyes will usually order more tests for a patient who has a normal EKG in spite of worrisome symptoms.
As a primary care practice with specialties in Internal Medicine and Primary Care Practice, we are pleased to offer our patients a wide variety of insurance options. For your convenience, we have included here a list of some of the most common insurance plans accepted in our office. In addition to the list provided, we accept a plethora of other health insurance plans. Please feel free to contact us to see if we take your insurance – we will be happy to help!