For an EKG you will be asked to lie on your back on an examining table. Small, sticky patches (wire electrodes) will be placed on your chest, arms and legs. While you lie quietly the EKG machine will record your heart’s activity on a paper strip as a series of wavy lines.
For a stress test the procedure will be the same, but you will be asked to walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike for several minutes.
You will come to the doctor’s office or an outpatient part of the hospital to prepare for a Holter or Event monitor test, but the test will take place at home over 1 or 2 days. Several wire electrodes will be applied to the chest area. The thin, flexible wires will be attached to a small monitor that can be clipped to a belt or waistband, or placed in a pocket.
You will be asked to keep a record of your activities during the test period so that the doctor can match up your activities with the recorded test results. At the end of the test period, you will return the monitor to the doctor’s office for analysis.