The death of the 41-year-old cardiologist, Dr Gaurav Gandhi due to cardiac arrest despite having a normal ECG report has left many shocked and suspicious. Many people pondered about this anomaly and started doubting the credibility of ECG tests. The incident took place a few months ago in June at Jamnagar, Gujarat. To clear some doubts, several cardiologists tried to answer this anomaly while presenting the reason behind it. They also suggested the right way to take the ECG test if you feel pain in your heart.

According to Noida’s Dr Vinod Kumar, it is possible that people who come to the hospital with sudden heart attacks may not have normal ECGs despite 30 per cent of them showing it as one. People must not return to their homes immediately after taking the first ECG report. In people with blocked arteries or in patients who had a heart attack, the first ECG sometimes can come normal. They should have an ECG taken every 15-30 minutes for two to three hours. Along with this, he also advises other tests such as echo and blood tests.

An ECG is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. It can also detect the possibility of a heart attack. However, sometimes ECG test fails to determine the arrival of a heart attack, said Dr Dixit Garg, the cardiologist at Manipal Hospital. While explaining the reason, he said that ECG is usually taken in the early stages of a heart attack. The changes in the heart cannot be fully detected by the machine. The electrical changes take extra time to show up on the ECG report. Hence, it is advised to take the ECG test 2-3 times to ensure the prevention of heart attack.

ECG must be taken at the right place otherwise it will show fewer changes in the location of the blockage. It also remains normal during the silent heart attack. Another time when ECG is found normal is when a person with a blocked vessel may have blood flow through another vessel instead. It is also known as an accessory gland.