Long QT

[aembry]

Ive noticed alot of people posting about long qt syndrome. It has never been a worry for me simply because I didnt know what it was. But from what ive read and understand about it, it is mostly hereditary, correct? And if my ekgs are normal then I have nothing to worry about? I feel like my cardio usually just glances over the ekg, it is usually laying there when she comes in and she doesnt look at it for very long. But she would know what this looks like by glancing at it right?? I did notice on my last ekg that there was several downward spikes, i know this probably has nothing to do with long qt but does anyone know what the downward spikes mean? I am simply just paranoid and curious about this condition. I also read about antibiotics and other meda causing it. How do I know what antibiotics are safe and if I should take them?

[aembry]

Thanks for the response. I just need to stop worrying myself over things that will probably never happen and need not be worried about!

[achillea]

As is something wrong says, cardiologists can simply eyeball those strips and spot abnormalities in a heartbeat, so to speak.  Anything funny stands out like a neon sign. Being able to do this well and quickly requires that you have a lot of specialized physiological study under your belt, plus a lot of practice, so it is actually pointless for an ordinary patient to spend time worrying about the shapes on a strip.

However, since you ask, what those squiggles signify is the changes in electrical charge that move across the heart as various parts of it contract.  The degree of positivity and negativity are indicated by the height or depth of the shapes on either side of the baseline.

Here is wikipedia's explanation, if you really want to go there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography

[is_something_wrong]

I also used to worry about ekg findings.. its normal when we do research we shouldn't..

[is_something_wrong]

Yes. Cardiologists can interpret an ekg in two seconds, that is like we reading three words. Forget your QT and other weird diagnoses:)