What is an electrocardiogram (EKG)?
An electrocardiogram, is a simple test to detect and record the electrical activity of the heart. An EKG shows how fast the heart is beating and also records the strength and timing of the electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart. An EKG is sometimes called a 12-lead EKG (or 12-lead ECG) because the electrical activity of the heart is most often recorded from 12 different places on the body at the same time.