Guest guest Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 I had an EKG today and happened to see the readout. It said short r-r and wide aberrant QRS. It also said I had ventricular premature complex. I asked the doctor if we could talk about what these things meant, but he said " nothing " . I asked if we could at least talk about them so I would understand what they are and he said there was nothing to talk about. Still, they have to mean something or the EKG wouldn't have printed them out. Of couse the doctor seemed rushed, but I sometimes feel doctors give that impression to make us feel guilty about taking up their valuable time by asking questions. By being pro- active. Needless to say I still don't what a short r-r is. Any I don't know what the other two things are either. Does anyone out there know what they are? Any information would be very welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 I learned a long time ago, never to pay attention to the WORDS that an EKG machine spits out... they are often very incorrect, or they add some crap that has no relevance to the actual rhythm of the heart... when I'm in afib, mine frequently make comments about being a digoxin effect, despite not being on dig... even when in NSR they sometime spit out junk... if you want to learn to read your own EKG, which I highly recommend, perhaps you could ask the nurse to explain things to you. The important numbers are obviously the rate, and the q-t interval. And then there is the rhythm itself, easy to read in NSR, but difficult when not. I can tell when mine is abnormal, but I can't tell you whethers it's afib, pvcs, pacs, flutter... etc... I just know basic " NSR " and " not NSR " . Your doctor is not reading the words on the EKG either, and it's possible that what he saw on the EKG in the rhythm part, and the q-t interval and rate did not actually concern him. I'm sorry he didn't take two seconds to explain this, though.. that would have given him major brownie points and would have alleviated most of your concern! I always ask for copies of my EKGs as well... sometimes the EKG technician will give them to you, but sometimes you have to ask a nurse... I always ask just to have a record. Stef creativecopy creativecopy@...> wrote: I had an EKG today and happened to see the readout. It said short r-r and wide aberrant QRS. It also said I had ventricular premature complex. I asked the doctor if we could talk about what these things meant, but he said " nothing " . I asked if we could at least talk about them so I would understand what they are and he said there was nothing to talk about. Still, they have to mean something or the EKG wouldn't have printed them out. Of couse the doctor seemed rushed, but I sometimes feel doctors give that impression to make us feel guilty about taking up their valuable time by asking questions. By being pro- active. Needless to say I still don't what a short r-r is. Any I don't know what the other two things are either. Does anyone out there know what they are? Any information would be very welcomed. Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com List owner: AFIBsupport-owner For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email, send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Stef, I think that you are right on the money with this. The EKG machine does spit out words, but it takes a cardiologist or an EP, in the case of afib or aflutter, to interpret the reading. That's what we pay them to do. But the doctor should certainly take the time to explain things to the patient. > > I learned a long time ago, never to pay attention to the WORDS that an EKG machine spits out... they are often very incorrect, or they add some crap that has no relevance to the actual rhythm of the heart... when I'm in afib, mine frequently make comments about being a digoxin effect, despite not being on dig... even when in NSR they sometime spit out junk... > > if you want to learn to read your own EKG, which I highly recommend, perhaps you could ask the nurse to explain things to you. The important numbers are obviously the rate, and the q-t interval. And then there is the rhythm itself, easy to read in NSR, but difficult when not. I can tell when mine is abnormal, but I can't tell you whethers it's afib, pvcs, pacs, flutter... etc... I just know basic " NSR " and " not NSR " . > > Your doctor is not reading the words on the EKG either, and it's possible that what he saw on the EKG in the rhythm part, and the q-t interval and rate did not actually concern him. I'm sorry he didn't take two seconds to explain this, though.. that would have given him major brownie points and would have alleviated most of your concern! > > I always ask for copies of my EKGs as well... sometimes the EKG technician will give them to you, but sometimes you have to ask a nurse... I always ask just to have a record. > > Stef > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 , I was put in the same position by a cardiac surgeon or 2. I googled " how to read an EKG " . There are some excellent websites which clearly explain what these terms mean. I think you will find the graphs and explanations very informative about your particular arrhythmias and premature beat complexes. In my favorite list is www.anaesthetic.com " The whole ECG - a really basic primer. " Good luck. LJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 The link is actually http://www.anaesthetist.com/icu/organs/heart/ecg/ > > , > > I was put in the same position by a cardiac surgeon or 2. > I googled " how to read an EKG " . > > There are some excellent websites which clearly explain what these terms mean. > > I think you will find the graphs and explanations very informative about your particular arrhythmias and premature beat complexes. > In my favorite list is www.anaesthetic.com " The whole ECG - a really basic primer. " > Good luck. > LJ > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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