Ever-rising costs are becoming more and more of a concern for medical facilities. Many hospitals, doctors' offices and clinics are turning to used medical equipment to keep new health care expenses in check. While most of these items are refurbished, some may actually be new surplus supplies, since all medical devices that are resold must be labeled "used."
Used machines often sell for much lower prices than brand new models. A GE ECG machine with a full warranty and never been used was recently offered by an online retailer for ,699 about half the cost of a new model. This is typical of used equipment which usually has a warranty close to that of a new machine.
EKG machines are also called ECG machines and are one of the most common medical devices in use today. Almost all offices today have one. The origin of the difference between EKG and ECG comes from the original German word, "elektrokardiogram", which had the "K" in its spelling. The English spelling is, "electrocardiogram", which replaces both of the letters "K" in German with the letter "C". Both EKG and ECG are named for the same device.
The term "electricity" was first used to describe electrical currents in 1600. However, the term "electrocardiogram" was coined hundreds of years later, in 1893, by Willem Einthoven, a Dutch researcher. In 1895, Einthoven identified the heart's electrical impulse upward and downward shifts or deflections using the P, Q, R, S, and T labels. The atypical U wave was identified much later. In 1901 Einthoven designed the first working EKG, a galvanometer that detected these impulses. In 1924, Einthoven was recognized for his invention when he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Modern EKG machines are quite different from the early models, being electronic and usually fully automatic. Some even give preliminary interpretations although a full reading by a cardiologist is almost always done in practice. The first machines used six chest leads and four limb leads to the electrodes applied to the chest to pick up tiny currents and then to record them on a graph paper.
Now EKG machines are able to get accurate recording with far fewer leads and can even be wireless so that patients can be mobile and monitored via telemetry. Old machines had to be set to every section of an EKG reading but now will generate all twelve leads automatically and most can be set to interpret or not.
EKG machines are such essential medical office equipment that finding the best price for quality equipment makes a great deal of sense. Using reputable online and physical used and refurbished equipment vendors can help to reduce medical care costs for everyone.
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