Ambultory Ecg/EKG report in identifying Atrial fibrillation 1

Ambultory ECG/EKG report

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[Name of the Institution]

 Ambultory Ecg/EKG report in identifying Atrial fibrillation 2

Ambulatory EKG/ECG works in Detecting Atrial Fibrillation

Ambulatory ECG/EKG Report

An ECG or EKG refers to an electrocardiogram or electrocardiograph that is a medical

test that looks into the functioning of the heart by quantifying the electrical activity, in the heart.

Through the heart an electrical wave travels whenever a heart beat is felt. This impulse further

leads to the muscles to pump and squeeze out blood. Based on the electrical activity of the heart

the doctor is able to understand if the heartbeat is irregular or normal. This sort of ECG only

records electrical activity for about 10 seconds [ CITATION Med \l 1033 ]. An ECG test is used to

detect abnormal or irregular heart rhythms that could have caused blood clots. Not only that but

it can detect other heart problems.

On the other hand and Ambulatory Electrocardiographic monitoring is often used by

healthcare workers to diagnose intermittent cardiac arrhythmias, this heart disease often occurs

unpredictably and is not very frequent either. Patients who experience heart palpitations or

frequent dizziness can be prescribed an ambulatory ECG as some it is hard to detect arrhythmias

since they only last for a very short amount of time, it can be nearly impossible to be examined

by a doctor. An ambulatory ECG observation can be used to record the heartbeat for long periods

of time, not just days but often months and sometimes even years. This allows increasing

chances of capturing and recording the symptoms that pop off during the illness. A disease like

Cardiac arrhythmias, often leads to symptoms that show up suddenly and those that can fade

extremely quickly, therefore when a doctor checks the patient for any signs of a disease it is

difficult to denote or diagnose with a standard ECG procedure [ CITATION Wha \l 1033 ].
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The test itself is conducted for about 24 to 48 hours. It roughly takes about 10 minutes to

apply electrodes to the body along with a recorder that is fitted. Now the individual must carry

out their daily activities for the next 2 days, they are also required to sleep through the night with

all the equipment on, however taking a bath or a shower with the equipment on should not be

done as the recorder must not get wet. Sometimes the doctor may tell you to do activities that

could have provoked a previous occurrence in order to get the same symptoms up and running

again. Furthermore a diary will be provided to the patient in order to note or record all the times

the individual faces any symptoms such as the feeling of a thumping heart. At the end of the test

the ECG is traced and analyzed. However the times where an episode occurred those are to be

analyzed more carefully than the rest in order to see if the individual had an abnormal rhythm or

heart rate. There are also some different equipment that may also be used such as a recorder in

which a button can be pressed to make the times when the symptoms show, there are some

recorders that can automatically detect any abnormalities in the heart rate or the rhythm.

However there are some recorders where you can send the ECG tracing analysis can be sent

through the phone. There are also some monitors known as ‘event monitors’ that are supposed to

be worn for longer periods which only records when it is physically turned on in the event of

symptoms[ CITATION DrH \l 1033 ].

A paroxysmal atrial fibrillation happens when an erratic or rapid heart rate that suddenly

begins and then within a week it stops on its own. The disease is also known as an intermittent

A-fib which roughly lasts for 24 hours. As the disease is not life threatening by itself it can

however lead to serious consequences, in order to battle the suffering in later own the treatment

and diagnosis of the problem should be tackled as quick as possible. Paroxysmal A-fib is often

caused by abnormal electric pulses in the heart, which would also mean that the heart beat is
 Ambultory Ecg/EKG report in identifying Atrial fibrillation 4

irregular or is not pumping and squeezing enough oxygen into the bloodstream. It can be linked

to possible previous health conditions that the patient may have such as a heart attack or a heart

surgery, high blood pressure, diabetes[ CITATION Par \l 1033 ].

The affectivity of detection devices towards atrial fibrillation has been investigated much

time. A single 10 second ECG has a sensitivity of 1.5 percent. In another study conducted over

the time period of three years showed that the sensitivity was 2.3 percent in annual 10 second

ECG. A 30 second ECG showed that when conducted twice a day for 14 days had sensitivity for

about 8.3 percent. A 24 hour monitoring period indicated that it had a sensitivity of 11 percent, a

monitoring period of 7 days showed in an increased sensitivity of 21 % and lastly an annual 30-

day monitoring displayed a sensitivity of 34% for 1 year, and lastly 55% for 3 years [ CITATION

NEJ \l 1033 ].

Majority of the people whom suffer this medical disorder experience episodes which are

often caused by specific triggers, being able to recognize these triggers can help in identifying

and avoiding them in the future. The most common known triggers are medication, hormones

along with caffeine. Some also tend to experience physical illness, sleep deprivation as these

issues can lead to your body not working to its full potential it can impact your body in stressful

ways, this can lead to irregular electrical impulse. To counter-act this issue a good well balanced

diet along with a full 7-8 hours of a good night’s sleep can really prove to be beneficial for a

patient with the disease.

There are numerous amounts of treatments that can be provided, such as heart rate

controlling medicine. This is the most common method of A-fib treatment. When consumed

regularly the man objective for this medicine is to lower the heart rate down to 60 to 80 beats per
 Ambultory Ecg/EKG report in identifying Atrial fibrillation 5

minute, which should be shown while at resting along with allowing it to regulate the electrical

currents. Medical cardioversion also known as Rhythm control this aims to bring the heart rate

back to a regular rhythm. Doctors may also prescribe blood thinners or anticoagulants that

prevent blood clots and can further on decrease the chances of the patient experiencing a stroke.

A treatment known as Electrical Cardioversion is also commonly used, this requires an electrical

current to bring back the heart to a more natural or regular rhythm, the aim is to achieve the same

level that is achieved with medication but it is more usually used for patients who have been

dealing with paroxysmal A-fib for more than 48 hours. Often blood thinning medicine goes hand

in hand with electrical cardioversion so as to achieve less chances of a stroke during the

procedure. A catheter ablation is also used as a form of treatment, in which a thing wire is

inserted into a patients veins located in either the neck or groin, which are further then guided

into the heart where heated electrodes at the end of the wire scars the area with the problem. Due

to the increased complications that can occur through surgery, doctors should most likely to

prescribe medication to an individual who has paroxysmal A-fib.

Bibliography
 Ambultory Ecg/EKG report in identifying Atrial fibrillation 6

Anon., n.d.

Anon., n.d. NEJM Journal Watch: Summaries of and commentary on origonal medical and
scientific articles from key medicla journals. Jwatch.

Anon., n.d. Paroxysmal atrial Fibrillatio: Causes, Symptoms and treatment. Medical news today.

Anon., n.d. What you should know about ambulatory ECG monitoring. Verywell Health.

Henderson, D., n.d. Ambulatory Electrocardiogram (ECG). ECG Test or Scan. Patient Info.

NET, M., n.d. What is the differrence between Electrocardiogram vs. Electrocardiography.