Which cardiac assessment test records the electrical activity of the heart?

• A. Stress test
• B. RE E
• C. DEXA
• D. EKG

Answer: (D)

Recording the electrical activity of the heart is what an electrocardiogram does. By placing small sensors on the chest and limbs, the heart’s electrical impulses are captured as it beats. The resulting tracing shows the sequence of events in each heartbeat—the atrial and ventricular depolarizations and repolarization—so clinicians can assess heart rate and rhythm, detect conduction blocks, and spot signs of ischemia or prior injury.

This is different from a stress test, which evaluates how the heart performs under exercise and gauges symptoms and overall function rather than focusing on the electrical signals themselves. A DEXA scan measures bone density, not heart activity. And a test that records brain electrical activity would not assess the heart, so it doesn’t serve the same purpose.