An electrocardiogram can give your doctor considerable information about the health and functioning of your heart. Your doctor can learn about your heart rhythm, the chambers of your heart, the functioning of your heart muscle and whether you had a heart attack in the past. A signal averaged electrocardiogram can tell your doctor if you are at risk for developing potentially lethal heart rhythms . A signal averaged electrocardiogram is a technique which amplifies low amplitude ECG signals, and reduces random noises surrounding these signals. The ECG is filtered and parts of it are averaged, allowing identification of late potentials.
Late potentials represent delayed conduction through diseased heart muscle.
If you recently had a heart attack or have undergone open heart surgery, your doctor may want to evaluate your heart rhythms to rule out life-threatening arrhythmias. This is a safe, painless test. There are no known risks associated with the ECG, and you will not have to sign a consent form. At the commencement of the test, you will be asked to undress from the waist up. Females should wear two-piece outfits that button or zip in the front.