Non-Invasive Cardiology Diagnostic Programs
- Cardiac stress testing: a test which combines treadmill exercise (or a medication that mimics exercise for those patients who are unable to walk on a treadmill) with pictures (images) recorded on computerized gamma cameras. It is used to provide information about how the heart responds to exertion. Your heart rhythm, heart rate and blood pressure are monitored continuously during the test.
- Echocardiogram: a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than an x-ray image and involves no radiation exposure.
- Stress echocardiogram: a test that combines exercise on a treadmill (or a medication that mimics exercise for those patients that are unable to walk on a treadmill) with an echocardiogram before and after exercise. A “stress echo” can accurately track the motion of your heart's walls and pumping action when it is stressed; it may reveal a lack of blood flow that isn't always apparent on other heart tests.
- 24-Hour Holter monitoring: a Holter monitor is a small device that continuously
records the heart's rhythms, and is usually worn for 24 hours during normal activity. After 24 hours, all the information stored on the device is analyzed for abnormal heart rhythms.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG): test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. With each beat, an electrical impulse (or “wave”) travels through the heart. This wave causes the muscle to squeeze and pump blood from the heart. An EKG is considered to be the gold standard for diagnosing cardiac arrhythmias.
- Event monitoring (heart rhythms): Patients are provided with a cardiac monitor, which they use for up to 30 days. An electrocardiogram is recorded when symptoms occur, and the data is transmitted to a cardiac monitoring center where it is reviewed by certified cardiac technicians who will notify your physician of any abnormal rhythms.
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE): An echocardiogram that is performed with the transducer inserted down the throat into the esophagus (the swallowing tube that connects your mouth to your stomach). Because the esophagus is located close to your heart, clear images of the heart structures can be obtained without the interference of the lungs and chest.