Usual day of a medical electrophysiology

technician

Hello everybody, my name is Alexandra, and I am studying Medical Electrophysiology in Ahuntsic College. When I am graduated I could work as medical electrophysiology technician in the hospitals, private clinics or other medical centers where they could provide medical services of this type. Now I want to explain my daily multi-purposed duties and what tests I will be responsible for as a medical electrophysiology technician. Generally I would like to point out that electrophysiological tests are usually used in the modern medicine to determine pathologies, investigate its' causes and finally choose the best treatment for each particular case. Medical electrophysiology technicians assist the doctors to diagnose certain diseases. ______________________________________________________________________

All electrophysiological tests are done with the electrodes that are put on the investigating area – the heart or brain, for example. They reveal tiny electrical impulses producing by the organs. Then these electrical signals are amplified by the machine and are recorded on to the paper or computer. Each electrode has its own normal rates. Different disorders and diseases produce abnormal traces. It’s important to emphasize that the body of any human being produces its own electricity. No electricity is put into by the ECG machine. All electrophysiological tests are unpainful and they do not cause any side effects.

The commonly known electrophysiological tests are Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Encephalogram (EEG).

Electrocardiogram (ECG)….?

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is needed mostly to determine strange or pathological rate of heart beating and the reasons of the aches in the chest.

An ECG test registers the activity that heart produces during distribution of very small electrical signals in different directions. This tiny electrical impulses are recognized and recorded by the special ECG equipment or device. It is usually needed to be done to reveal some heart disorders as irregular heart rhythms (too slow or too fast) or enlarged heart as well as certain heart diseases as myocardial infarction happened recently or some time ago. Very often this test is a part of a routine examination, when a person is hired for a new job or a part of a yearly check up, for example. 

 Electroencephalogram (EEG)…?

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is mostly needed for the patients who suffer seizures of epilepsy or have the relevant symptoms. But not always doctors could diagnose epilepsy with EEG test.

During the test the technician registers the electrical activity of the brain. Constantly the brain cells and nerves produce very small electrical impulses that are caught and recorded by the EEG machine or device. During the EEG test the technician put small electrodes on the scalp of the patient and then connect him or her to the electroencephalograph for 20-30 minutes. At the end of the test all electrodes are removed.

Regardless if the patient lies on the couch or sits in the chair during the EEG test the technician could ask him or her to breathe deeply or blink. Sometimes the technician could use a strobe light to determine if it changes normal brain patterns. For most people those patterns stay the same. These specific types of EEG test are necessary to trigger the brain reaction that could be associated with certain types of abnormalities or pathologies.

Sometimes to determine any varieties of the normal brain pattern the EEG test is performed when the patient is sleeping. This is done when the seizures happen during sleeping or caused by the fatigue. In this case the patient should be hospitalised.

Source:           https://patient.info/health/electrocardiogram-ecg

                        https://patient.info/health/electroencephalograph-eeg