ECG
ecg
Noun
pl: ECGs
This term is a medical abbreviation for electrocardiogram. In clinical settings, it is used interchangeably with EKG, which derives from the German spelling Elektrokardiogramm. While ECG is more common in British English and standard medical literature, EKG is frequently used in North American clinical practice to avoid phonetic confusion with EEG (electroencephalogram).
As a technical medical term, it is used in both formal diagnostic reports and casual patient-doctor conversations. It refers specifically to the recording of the heart's electrical activity, rather than the physical interpretation of the results, though in common parlance, "getting an ECG" encompasses the entire testing process.