Why Is an Electrocardiogram Done?

An electrocardiogram (EKG) is done to evaluate signs and symptoms that could indicate heart problems. Some of the signs and symptoms that might be evaluated with an EKG include:

• Chest pain
• Heart pounding, racing, or fluttering, or the sense that your heart is beating unevenly
• Difficulty breathing
• Feeling tired and weak (fatigue)
• Unusual heart sounds when the doctor listens to your heartbeat

When an adult—usually someone who is older than 40 or 50 years of age—has a routine health exam, the doctor may order an EKG to screen for early heart disease that has no symptoms. The doctor is more likely to look for early heart disease if the person has a family history of heart disease in a mother, father, brother, or sister—especially if the heart disease developed early in those family members’ lives.

Doctors also use EKGs to check how well heart treatments, such as drugs or medical devices, are working.