Question:

Can nervousness affect an EKG?

I had an EKG in my doctor’s office. The doctor’s staff had trouble getting lead #1 to stay attached to my chest and a little trouble with two more leads. I have claustrophobia and almost could not finish the EKG. I think the test took about fifteen minutes. The test showed that I had left bundle block. Could this be a false reading due to my being very nervous?

Submitted by Dan from Baltimore, MD on 02/04/2014

Answer:
by Maher M. Nasser, MD

Dear Dan,

No, being nervous does not cause left bundle branch block. It may, however, show minor artifacts. Regards,