First of all, it should be said that if the doctor ordered an ECG, then there is nothing catastrophic about this. This examination is carried out by many people. It is a standard procedure for diagnosing a particular disease.
Survey Description
ECG for a child is similar to an ECG for an adult. But this procedure still has its own nuances. The ECG stands for electrocardiogram. This procedure captures how the heart muscle contracts. How to do an ECG is familiar to many. To conduct this examination, sensors are fixed on a person, by means of which a signal is transmitted to a special device. This device gives a graph on which the work of the heart muscle is fixed. This procedure is quite simple, does not have any contraindications. It can be done for both adults and children. An ECG allows you to diagnose heart diseases, such as heart disease, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and others.
This examination is prescribed by any cardiologist when contacting him for a consultation. Your doctor may also tell you how to do an ECG. The advantages of this examination are that it is absolutely affordable, does not require any costs and allows you to diagnose heart disease.
Examine the children. How is the diagnosis carried out?
How to make an ECG for a child? First of all, it is worth saying that a children's electrocardiogram is different from an adult examination. This is due to the fact that the baby’s heart rhythm has its own characteristics in each age period. For example, newborns have a very frequent heartbeat. Moreover, as it grows older it slows down. In this regard, the electrocardiogram of the child should be deciphered by a pediatric cardiologist with work experience who will take into account the age characteristics of the baby and know how to do ECG for children.
Another important point is the quality equipment with which this procedure is carried out. Before undergoing this examination, it is recommended to clarify the doctor’s qualifications, see reviews about him, find out what devices are used to conduct an electrocardiogram and how an ECG is done in this clinic. It is better if the equipment is modern. Before ECG children did not. At that time, only one disease was detected in them - a heart defect. But recently, unfortunately, in children there are various diseases of the heart system. Therefore, for their diagnosis, this type of examination is prescribed. It should also be said that it is always better to identify the disease at an early stage and take all necessary measures to improve the body.
Preparing a child for an ECG
Before doing an ECG for a child, some work should be done. In fact, there are no special measures to prepare the child for an electrocardiogram. It also depends on the age of the baby. With an older child, you can do a similar procedure at home in a playful way and tell him how to do an ECG. The main thing is that during the examination the baby was in a calm state, not nervous. This point is important. Since the electrocardiogram of a person who is in a calm state, better shows the work of his heart.
You can do ECG to the child during sleep. Therefore, it is better not to wake babies. It is recommended to feed the child before the procedure so that he is in a good mood. It is better to put the baby in clothes that would be removed quickly. Since babies usually do not like the process of changing clothes, they may begin to be capricious before the examination, and this will badly affect the result of the electrocardiogram.
ECG procedure for a child
In order to install sensors on the body of the child, it is necessary to provide access to the chest, wrists and ankles. If it’s warm, then you can undress the baby to panties. If the room is cool, you can provide access only to the required areas. Twelve sensors are fixed on the baby’s body.
There are special ones for small patients. They are small in size and shape that will not harm baby skin. Their main difference is that they are soft. These sensors are disposable. They are very convenient for conducting an electrocardiogram. Various medical centers offer ECG services for children from different ages. This criterion depends on the equipment they have and the skill level of doctors.
Therefore, before recording on an ECG, it is necessary to clarify at what age the examination is conducted. It is better if the baby during the examination will be in conditions comfortable for him. It is also important that the doctor knows how to find an approach to the child.
How do ECGs do women? Procedure
An electrocardiogram for women is no different from a male examination. But there are small nuances that should be mentioned. First of all, women are advised not to apply oily cream to the body. Since because of it there will be no conductivity of the necessary signals for the device. Comfortable clothing should also be worn. Sensors are attached to the chest, wrists and ankles. Therefore, it is necessary to completely undress before the examination. The bra will also need to be removed. Some women are embarrassed to take off their bras. But this will have to be done, since it is necessary to fix the sensors on the chest to obtain the result of the study. Do not be shy, as medical professionals look at a person professionally. If a woman came to the electrocardiogram in tights, then you should know that they also have to be removed. Since the examination requires bare ankles.
Patient behavior What should be done and what not?
Recommendations for patient behavior during ECG:
- In order for the examination to be successful, a person needs to be in a calm state so that he has even breathing. To ensure this result, the patient is left to lie on the couch for ten minutes before the procedure.
- It is important that a person ate a couple of hours before the examination.
- The air temperature in the room where the ECG is performed should be comfortable. It must be borne in mind that a person will be without clothes. If the patient freezes, this fact will distort the schedule of the electrocardiogram.
- If a person has shortness of breath, it will be better when conducting an examination of his sitting position. So in the graph of the cardiogram will be reflected all violations of the heart rhythm.
Little conclusion
Now you know how to make an ECG (a photo of the procedure and the approximate location of the sensors are presented in the article). Remember that this procedure does not do any harm to a person, but is prescribed only by a doctor. Therefore, do not be afraid of this study.