Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG from the German Elektrokardiogramm) is a transthoracic (across the thorax or chest) interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time, as detected by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin and recorded by a device external to the body. The recording produced by this noninvasive procedure is termed an electrocardiogram (also ECG or EKG).
The etymology of the word is derived from the Greek electro, because it is related to electrical activity, kardio, Greek for heart, and graph, a Greek root meaning "to write". In English speaking countries, medical professionals often write EKG (the abbreviation for the German word elektrokardiogramm) in order to avoid confusion with EEG in emergency situations where background noise is high.
Most EKGs are performed for diagnostic or research purposes on human hearts, but may also be performed on other animals, usually for research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography
The etymology of the word is derived from the Greek electro, because it is related to electrical activity, kardio, Greek for heart, and graph, a Greek root meaning "to write". In English speaking countries, medical professionals often write EKG (the abbreviation for the German word elektrokardiogramm) in order to avoid confusion with EEG in emergency situations where background noise is high.
Most EKGs are performed for diagnostic or research purposes on human hearts, but may also be performed on other animals, usually for research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography
