EKG Testing in Miami Lakes

Why heart screening matters in Florida

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Florida: in 2024 it caused 49,441 deaths, 21.6% of all deaths in the state (Florida Department of Health). Nationally, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups, and one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease (CDC). Almost half of U.S. adults have at least one of the three key risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking (NHLBI).

An EKG is one piece of how your provider looks at your heart. The rest comes from your blood pressure, your cholesterol and blood sugar, and your history.

What happens during an EKG

You lie on an exam table, and small sensors that stick to your skin, called electrodes, go on your arms, legs and chest; some hair may need to be shaved so they stay on. You lie very still while the machine records your heart’s electrical activity, and the test takes only a few minutes (MedlinePlus). No preparation is needed beyond telling your provider which medicines you take, since some can affect the results.

There’s very little risk. The EKG doesn’t send any electricity into your body; it only records the signals your heart makes. You may feel a little discomfort or skin irritation when the electrodes come off (MedlinePlus).

What an EKG can and can’t tell you

An EKG shows how fast your heart is beating, whether the rhythm is steady or irregular, and the strength and timing of the electrical signals passing through each part of the heart (NHLBI). With your history and other tests, it helps your provider find and follow conditions such as arrhythmias, heart failure and coronary artery disease, and it can show a past heart attack you didn’t know about (MedlinePlus).

It has limits. An EKG can be normal even when someone has angina (NHLBI), and because it’s a snapshot of a few minutes, it may miss symptoms that come and go. Some heart problems are easier to find when the heart is working hard, as during exercise, which is what a stress test is for (NHLBI). For rhythms that come and go, a longer recording helps:

Test	What it records	How long
Resting EKG	Your heart’s electrical signals while you lie still	A few minutes
Holter monitor	The same signals while you go about your normal day	Up to two days
Event monitor	Your heart’s activity over a longer stretch, to catch rhythms that come and go	Weeks to months, or longer for implanted types

Sources: MedlinePlus and NHLBI. The resting EKG is done in the office; for the others, your provider will tell you where to go.

When you might need one

MedlinePlus lists the reasons (MedlinePlus):

• Symptoms of a heart problem, such as chest pain, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, tiredness, or being less able to exercise than you used to be.
• A heart condition your provider is following, including checking how a new heart medicine is working.
• Higher risk, for example if heart disease runs in your family or you have diabetes.
• Before surgery, when your provider is concerned about your heart health.

What an EKG isn’t for is routine screening of people at low risk. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening low-risk adults who have no symptoms, because an abnormal result can lead to invasive follow-up tests that carry their own harms (USPSTF). For people at higher risk, it found too little evidence to recommend for or against. If you’re not sure where you stand, an annual physical is the place to ask.

Know the warning signs

A heart attack usually brings chest pain or discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back, which can feel like pressure, squeezing or fullness. Other signs: feeling weak, light-headed or faint; pain in the jaw, neck, back, one or both arms or shoulders; and shortness of breath. Women are more likely to also have unusual tiredness and nausea or vomiting. If you notice these symptoms, call 911 right away (CDC).

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. Some people feel heart palpitations (a rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeat), and some have no symptoms at all. It matters because AFib raises the risk of stroke about five times and causes about 1 in 7 strokes (CDC). Palpitations are a good reason to book a visit, or a same-day visit if they’re new.

What Medicare and other plans cover

Medicare Part B covers a screening EKG once, if your provider refers you for it during your one-time Welcome to Medicare visit, and EKGs as diagnostic tests whenever they’re medically needed. After the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount (Medicare.gov); our Medicare guide explains the rest. Other plans vary, so check yours on the insurance page.

Two common questions about requirements. Current heart guidelines don’t recommend a routine EKG before low-risk surgery for people without symptoms, though one is reasonable for people with heart disease facing a higher-risk operation (AHA/ACC). And the federal medical exam for commercial drivers doesn’t include an EKG on its form; the examiner can order more tests if needed (FMCSA).

The rest of the heart picture

Most of your heart risk shows up in numbers you can track: blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, checked with blood work drawn at the same office. A family history of early heart disease counts too, especially a father or brother diagnosed before 55, or a mother or sister before 65 (NHLBI), so bring what you know. Changes in diet and activity and, where it fits, medical weight loss work on the same risks.

EKGs are done at both the Miami Lakes and Kendall offices. New patients can start with the new patient guide, and every one of the practice’s providers speaks English and Spanish.