On 05-Nov-08 14:16, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> It means "electrocardiogram".
> 
> I just had one.
Great, why?
> 
> I was expecting them to use metal electrodes and electrolytic gel, but 
> actually the nurse got out a sheet of card, peeled about a dozen 
> stickers off of it and started sticking them to me like I was a stamp 
> book. :-| Obviously several around my ribcage, but oddly enough also 
> around my various extremities... presumably so they have something to 
> measure the potential difference against.
No, the extremity leads (Einthoven (and Goldberger) leads) are the 
oldest ones (about 1903) and still used very much for the diagnosis. The 
six precordial ones were added later to improve diagnosis by looking are 
more local phenomena.

> 
> Having covered me in stickers, she then started attaching crocodile 
> clips to them. (Personally, having crocodile clips that close to my 
> nipples made me nervous!)

wimp

> I didn't actually get to see the trace myself, 

Do you think you could judge it yourself?

> but the nurse reconned it looked quite normal. 

I bet she says that to all the boys.

> Obviously I'm waiting for the doctor to have a 
> chance to look at it for confirmation.
> 
> The fun part, of course, is *removing* all the stickers. 

Indeed it is. I do 65 lead ECG with double adhesive tape. \o/

> It's amazing 
> how far human skin can distort without ripping. o_O Amazing and 
> uncomfortable! Of course, human hair is not nearly so elastic... >_<
> 
> The nurse tells me that for really hairy people, she has a whole box 
> full of disposible razors. "It's really quite weird shaving some random 
> Asian man's chest..."

I have electrodes all around the upper body. I regularly shave the front 
and sometimes even the back of very hairy men.

> Still, it could have been worse - if I needed an EEG, I really would 
> have to shave. O_O

No, they generally use very different electrodes.

> And fortunately, no blood samples required! :-D (Why do they always have 
> to take blood samples from the most tender parts of your anatomy? Why 
> not your finger or something? I'm sure it's the same blood...)
> 
1) they do the finger for diabetes testing and also for testing at the 
blood bank.
2) In don't know where you think they take blood, and possibly don't 
want to know. In my experience it is mostly from the arms.

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