A nurse or technician will attach soft, sticky patches called electrodes to the skin of your chest, arms, and legs. The patches are about the size of a quarter. Often, 12 patches are attached to your body. This helps detect your heart’selectrical activity from many areas at the same time.

The nurse may have to shave areas of your skin to help the patches stick. After the patches are placed on your skin, you’ll lie still on a table while the patches detect your heart’s electrical signals. The computer will capture and save these signals, giving us a complete EKG for the physician to review.