electrocardiogram
Americannoun
noun
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A graphic recording of the electrical activity of the heart, used to evaluate cardiac function and to diagnose arrhythmias and other disorders.
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◆ An electrocardiograph is the apparatus used to generate electrocardiograms. The machine functions as a portable set of galvanometers that measure electric potentials at different anatomic sites on the chest and extremities, and contains internal circuitry for computing calculations based on these measurements. Twelve electrodes act as transducers to pick up the electrical signals. Various combinations of signals from the electrodes can be selected for output, each of which provides information about electrical activity in the heart from a different anatomical perspective. For example, electrodes placed on the right arm, left leg and left arm record variations in potential in the frontal plane of the heart. The signals are converted to waveform tracings that are recorded and printed for diagnostic interpretation.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of electrocardiogram
First recorded in 1900–05; electro- + cardiogram
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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The White House provided the Journal with a summary of a Mayo Clinic AI-assisted analysis of Trump’s electrocardiogram that estimated the president’s cardiac age to be that of a 65-year-old.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
She was able to verify that while her mother had completed scheduled blood tests, she had not shown up for an electrocardiogram.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
Any sign of distress, such as chest pain, could be a red flag; the symptom warranted investigation with tests, like an electrocardiogram or X-ray, experts said.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024
Meanwhile, in the visitors’ locker room, paramedics were measuring the electrical activity of Harbaugh’s heart by administering an electrocardiogram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2024
With the women strapped to tilt tables with their heads angled down at 65 degrees, a cardiologist checked their heart functions as an electrocardiogram recorded information every five minutes.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
For instance, Yale researchers have developed an AI tool that reads electrocardiograms to identify asymptomatic people at risk of heart failure long before their symptoms appear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
There, Appleby and his team screened them for entry into the Ionis trial, doing neurological exams, running electrocardiograms, taking blood and urine, and asking them to repeat lists of words.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 21, 2024
The algorithm was trained on almost a million electrocardiograms and it accurately predicted patients would have atrial fibrillation within 31 days.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2023
And some clinics send their patients to the ER for routine electrocardiograms to get cleared for surgery, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2023
Heart and Pulse The effect on the pulse while these tests were made was observed, and electrocardiograms taken.
From How to Live Rules for Healthful Living Based on Modern Science by Fisher, Irving
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
