NO SAMPLE NEEDED · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
ECG explained
Records the heart's electrical activity through stickers on the skin — no needle, about five minutes.
What the ECG measures
Records the electrical signal that makes the heart beat. Ten small stickers go on the chest, arms and legs, and the machine prints the tracing. Nothing is injected and nothing is felt.
What the result tells you
Rhythm and rate
It identifies irregular rhythms — atrial fibrillation most often, and worth finding, because it raises stroke risk and is treatable.
Old damage and strain
Evidence of a previous heart attack that was never recognised, strain from long-standing high blood pressure, and thickening of the heart wall.
What a normal tracing does not rule out
Narrowed arteries. Someone with significant coronary disease can have a completely normal ECG sitting still, so chest pain on exertion is investigated further regardless.
How to prepare
- Fasting
- Not needed
- Best time
- Any time of day
- Avoid before
- Caffeine and nicotine shortly before
- Worth knowing
- You will need to uncover your chest, ankles and wrists for the stickers. A female staff member is present for women. It takes about five minutes and does not hurt.
What can move the result
A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.
Packages that include it
Frequently asked questions
Records the electrical signal that makes the heart beat. Ten small stickers go on the chest, arms and legs, and the machine prints the tracing. Nothing is injected and nothing is felt. Rhythm and rate: It identifies irregular rhythms — atrial fibrillation most often, and worth finding, because it raises stroke risk and is treatable.
Fasting: Not needed. Best time: Any time of day. Avoid beforehand: Caffeine and nicotine shortly before. You will need to uncover your chest, ankles and wrists for the stickers. A female staff member is present for women. It takes about five minutes and does not hurt.
Commonly: movement or shivering during the recording; caffeine and nicotine shortly before, which raise the heart rate; blood pressure and rhythm medicines; electrolyte levels, especially potassium. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.
At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. It is included in the Smart Total Health, the Smart Total Health 360°, the Smart Extra Health, the Cardiac Panel, or it can be ordered on its own. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.
Sources
Written from current guidance and reviewed 31 August 2026.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)American Heart Association
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)NHS
- ElectrocardiogramMedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine