London:-  Breast implants make it trickier to run tests that can help spot a possible heart attack, a cardiologist has said. Dr Sok-Sithikun Bun, from Monaco, did a small trial, with 48 women, and found electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, which measure the electrical activity of the heart, were often unreliable because the breast implants “got in the way”. Dr Bun is presenting his findings at a conference in Austria. Having a pre-implant ECG for doctors to refer to would help, he said. “We do not want to frighten patients, but it may be wise to have an ECG before a breast implant operation,” Dr Bun said.–Monitoring Desk

“The ECG can be kept on file and used for comparison if the patient ever needs another ECG.” Doctors use ECGs to help them diagnose the cause of chest pain. Small sticky patches, called electrodes, are put on the patient’s arms, legs and chest and connected by wires to the ECG machine, which picks up and records the electrical signals, which can then be printed on to paper.