The examiner attaches electrodes to the chest, wrists, and legs with a special gel. A recording machine will trace a wave pattern for each wire lead. For a resting EKG, the person must remain still and quiet. An exercise EKG is performed while the person walks on a treadmill or rides a cycle. The examiner asks the person to maintain or increase effort.
Blood pressure is measured along with heart activity.
Unless the person has pain or fatigue, the test goes until he reaches a target heart rate. Monitoring usually continues for 10 or 15 minutes after the exercise stops. The healthcare provider will interpret the EKG tracings and report the findings to the patient after the test. All Rights Reserved.