Think of your heart as a pump generated by your body’s constantly charging electrical system. This pump operates at peak efficiency when the heart muscle is strong, when the electrical system is constant and uninterrupted; when all the arteries leading to the heart muscle, as well as those inside the heart muscle, allow blood to flow freely. If any part of the cardiac system—the heart muscle, the electrical system, or the veins and arteries are not working properly, you are at risk for a heart attack.
Diagnostic tests and procedures help your physician determine if a heart attack has occurred and, if so, what damage your heart suffered. Diagnostic tests and procedures can also alert your physician to coronary artery disease. It’s important for your doctor to have this information, which is often the basis of your treatment plan.
Diagnostic tests and procedures fall into two categories: invasive and non-invasive. The name says it all: non-invasive tests take place outside of your body. Invasive tests and procedures take a closer look inside your body and can include everything from a cardiac catheterization to surgery.
Types of Non-Invasive Tests:
Electrocardiogram — often described as an ECG or EKG, this test records the electrical activity of the heart so your physician can measure the timing and duration of each heart beat. It’s one way your physician can determine whether or not a heart attack has occurred.
Ambulatory electrocardiography—this test records the electrical activity of your heart (your heart beat) as you go about your usual daily routine. You may have heard this test referred to as Holter monitoring, named for the monitor you wear during the testing period (usually 24 hours). You doctor also may refer to this test as an ambulatory ECG or EKG.
Echocardiography — you may be more familiar with the term echocardiogram. This test uses sound waves to produce images of your heart showing its size, structure, and motion. The technician uses a hand-held device called a transducer, which is firmly pressed against your chest. The transducer uses high-frequency sound waves, or ultrasound, to produce images. This test helps your doctor determine how your heart is functioning. The Cardiologist will look closely at the hearts strength, size, the flow of blood and valves to see if there are any abnormalities.
Chest x-ray — shows an image of your chest cavity including your heart, lungs, breast bone, and ribs. This test tells your physician if your heart is enlarged, or if fluid is accumulating around the heart sac.
Computer imaging — includes a number of more sophisticated methods for gaining an image of your heart. Collectively, these tests are referred to as tomography and can include familiar names such as CT, CAT, PET, and MRI. The important point is you lie still while a machine scans your chest. A computer enhances and refines the image, which helps your doctor diagnose conditions such as aortic disease and diseases of the heart and surrounding tissue. A CAT scan displays a 3-dimensional x-ray image of the heart which allows the physicians to look closely at the hearts structure.
Heart of Lancaster offers the more powerful 64-slice CAT scanner which allows the Cardiologists to look for blockages within the small blood vessels that surround the heart which are called Coronary Arteries.
Exercise stress test — is often called a treadmill test, exercise test, or exercise cardiac stress test. Electrodes (EKG pads) are placed on your chest and are connected to a monitor that records your electrocardiogram. Your heart rate and blood pressure are measured during this test. This test helps determine your exercise endurance as you walk on a treadmill. This test can help your physician diagnose coronary artery disease, explain possible cause of chest pain, and provide valuable information for planning a heart-healthy exercise program.
Nuclear stress test — is a test that gives your doctor images of blood flow through your heart when the muscle is working and at rest. It provides more detail and accuracy than the non-invasive treadmill test. Cardiolite, a radioactive tracer, is injected into the veins. As the tracer disperses through the bloodstream, physicians and nuclear medicine technicians can measure blood flow during exercise and when you are at rest. This test can show where and to what degree your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, can help determine the extent of muscle damage from a heart attack, and can help your doctor pinpoint the cause of chest pain. Often, a doctor will order a Cardiolite stress test to plan a safe level of exercise after a patient has had a heart attack or has been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Medications can be used in place of exercise if a person is unable to exercise on a treadmill.
Echo stress test – is a test that uses echocardiographic imaging along with an exercise test. If a person is unable to walk on a treadmill, a medication is used to increase the heart rate for a short period of time while the technologist obtains images of the heart.
Preparing for a stress test –
• You will need to fast for a stress test from midnight until after the exercise or medication part of the test is completed.
• Check with your physician about taking your regular medications. You will need to bring a complete list of your medications with you.
• Be sure to bring your doctors prescription for the test with you to the hospital.
• Dress comfortably and wear proper footwear for walking on a treadmill.
• Enter the hospital at the Patient Entrance, which is the middle entrance under the main canopy of the hospital. Proceed to the Registration Desk in the lobby.
• After you have been registered the staff will direct you to the Radiology/Cardiology lounge. The Registrar will ask for your doctor’s order for the test.
Invasive Diagnostic Echocardiogram- Transesophageal echocardiography — uses high-frequency sound waves to give an image of the heart, much like the non-invasive echocardiogram. The difference is the transducer is a small tube passed down the throat and into the esophagus. This test provides a detailed picture that identifies abnormal rhythms (heart beat) and structural abnormalities in the heart.