Cardiac Catheterization › Cardiology › Services

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 HLRMC Cath Lab Team

  • Blood test — is one method used to determine if a heart attack has occurred by checking the levels of cardiac enzymes and proteins. When a heart attack has occurred, the blood test can provide information about the degree and extent of damage. Your physician may use blood test results to determine the degree of coronary artery disease (CAD), which refers to blocked arteries and impeded blood flow.

  • Cardiac catheterization — refers to a group of procedures used to look at blood flow to, from, and through the heart muscle. The name catheterization refers to the manner in which these tests are performed: a thin hollow tube (a catheter) is used to inject a dye into veins. This dye, which is visible in an X-ray, shows the cardiologist where blockages, if any, occur and how much the blockage impedes blood flow. A diagnostic catheterization also gives information about the muscle strength of the heart, and can measure blood pressure inside the heart and oxygen levels of the blood.

  • Electrophysiology tests — are diagnostic tests that measure the heart’s electrical activity. This test gives more detail than the non-invasive ECG (electrocardiogram) that also measures electrical impulses. Electrophysiology tests also use catheters (thin hollow tubes) that are inserted into veins (blood vessels). Each catheter is tipped with an electrode that maps the electrical impulses of the heart. This is a real time test that show whether there is an abnormal heart beat (arrhythmia) and in which part of the heart the electrical activity is faulty.

    • HLRMC Cardiac Cath Lab