Tests and procedures your doctor might use to diagnose and treat your heart problem
Procedures done in the office:
Abdominal ultrasound: This test uses sound waves to examine the blood vessels in your abdomen to detect any abnormalities or blockages. A small probe will be rubbed over your abdomen and the results will be seen on a computer screen. You can eat a light meal 3 hours before your appointment.
Blood tests: A number of different tests are used to determine cholesterol levels in your blood, as well as other important indicators of heart health. Other tests measure the effectiveness and possible side effects of medicines you take.
Echocardiogram: Echocardiography can be used to determine causes for chest pain, the effects of a heart attack, or to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. An echocardiogram allows your doctor to diagnose a number of diseases of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. The procedure takes about 30 minutes. It is relatively painless and requires no special preparation. You will be asked to remove your clothes from the waist up and will be given a gown to wear. You will be asked to lie still while you are lying on a table. A technologist will rub a small probe over your chest in order to take pictures of your heart which are reviewed by one of our cardiologists.
Electrocardiogram or EKG: This test can reveal a number of heart problems by determining whether your heart is beating at a normal speed and a steady rhythm. It can be used to diagnose a heart attack and birth defects to the heart, among other conditions, and is often used in combination with other procedures.
After a technician places 12 sensors on your chest, the test takes only a few minutes to complete. It is important not to use any oils or lotions on your body before coming to the office for an appointment, because they interfere with an EKG and other procedures.
External counter pulsation therapy: This procedure increases blood flow in patients with congestive heart failure, severe heart attack, shock resulting from heart disease and especially heart attack, as well as chest pain called angina which is a symptom of coronary artery disease. The therapy is used in patients who are experiencing severe angina in spite of treatment, but for whom surgery is not an option.Holter monitor: This test is done to identify heart rhythm problems by recording changes in the speed and rhythm of your heartbeat over a 24- hour period. You will wear a small monitor and have ten electrodes attached to you during the test. You will not be able to take a shower or bath during the 24-hour period. You can remove the monitor when the time is up and must return it to the Heart Center that day so that the results can be measured.
Nuclear heart scan: This scan is done to find out how well the arteries that go to the heart are supplying blood, which contains oxygen, to the heart muscle. The scan will tell your doctor if this vital part of the heart is receiving enough blood to function properly. The scan takes 3 to 5 hours. Click here for important preparations needed 24 hours before this procedure. Please read them carefully and print them out if possible.
Pulmonary function test: This test measures how well your lungs are taking in and blowing out air. It also measures how efficiently your lungs transfer oxygen from the air they inhale to your blood. The test is ordered if you have been experiencing shortness of breath. You will be asked to breathe into the mouthpiece of the equipment in several different ways. No preparation is needed but, if you are a smoker, do not smoke 4-6 hours before the test.
Pulse oximetry: This test measures the amount of oxygen in your blood while you are sleeping in order to detect a sleeping disorder. The test may be ordered if you experience fatigue, trouble sleeping, or sleepiness during the day. A small monitor is attached to your finger and another is worn around your wrist while you sleep for one night. You must return the monitors the next day so that the results can be measured.
Stress tests: These tests measure how well your heart is functioning while you are walking at different speeds on a treadmill. The treadmill starts out moving slowly and gets faster and steeper every three minutes.
A stress echocardiogram, for example, shows our doctors how your heart functions when you are resting and when you are exercising. The technologist will take images of your heart at rest and after you have walked as long as you can on a treadmill. You should have a light meal 3 hours before this test and wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
An exercise stress test shows the effect of exercise on your heart and your blood pressure. It also shows how much exercise you can tolerate safely. A technologist and one of our physicians will take your blood pressure and an electrocardiogram periodically while you walk as fast and as long as you can on a treadmill. You should wear a shirt or blouse that buttons down the front and comfortable pants and walking shoes.
T-wave alterans test: This test evaluates the risk of sudden cardiac death by means of a special computer program which can recognize subtle differences in the waves produced by an electrocardiogram. This procedure may be indicated when your doctor wants to investigate the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients who have suffered a heart attack but, according to tests, do not need an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
Vascular study: Using ultrasound and other noninvasive procedures, a vascular study monitors the blood flow to your legs to find out if pain or weakness in your legs is caused by insufficient circulation. No special preparation is needed for this study.
Procedures done in the hospital:
Angioplasty: If cardiac catheterization discovers a blockage, angioplasty may be a treatment chosen by your doctor. This procedure is used to open blockages in the heart’s arteries by inserting a small balloon in the blocked area and inflating it to compress the plaque that is blocking the artery. To keep the area open and prevent the blockage from returning, a stainless steel tube called a stent may be inserted. Stents have reduced the rate at which blockages reoccur to well below 10%.
Heart catheterization: You will be mildly sedated while a thin, flexible tube is placed in your groin in order to insert a substance similar to a dye in your heart’s arteries. This substance makes the movement of the blood visible on an x-ray and tells your doctor whether the flow of blood through your heart is blocked at any point. Cardiac catheterization is usually done on an outpatient basis, although an overnight stay is sometimes necessary.
Head tilt table test: This is used when a patient has frequent fainting spells caused by a drop in blood pressure that happens when a part of the nervous system that controls blood pressure is disturbed. Of course any disturbance in blood pressure presents a potential risk of heart disease.
Defibrillator: A device implanted to restore a normal speed to your heart if it is beating too fast.
Pacemaker: A device implanted in your body to regulate your heartbeat.
Transesophageal echocardiogram: A procedure similar to an echocardiogram except that a special probe is put down the esophagus to get a better picture of the heart. This procedure lets your doctor detect clots, heart tumors, and a congenital condition called patent foramen. A small opening in the wall between two chambers of the heart occurs naturally before birth and usually closes a few weeks or months after. But in at least 25% of people this opening persists to adulthood and can cause heart problems.
