Cardiac Diagnostics
Heart And Vascular Center > Cardiac Diagnostics
Delta Regional Medical Center is committed to providing the latest diagnostic technologies as soon as they become available. Our comprehensive cardiac diagnostic services are highly successful in helping the cardiac team to diagnose heart problems and select the best course of treatment. Typical procedures include echocardiography, vascular testing, stress testing, cardiac catheterization, pulmonary angiography, peripheral angiography, and renal artery angiography.
Echocardiography
An echocardiogram (also called an “echo”) is a test that uses ultrasound waves to examine the heart. It is a noninvasive and painless procedure using a microphone-like device (called a Transducer) placed against the chest, which bounces ultrasound waves off the various parts of the heart. The computer then constructs an image of the heart allowing the cardiologists to look at the size of the heart, its pumping strength, the valves in the heart and many other functions. Improvements called Harmonics and Contrast Resolution enable the physician to see even greater detail. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Vascular Testing
Like echocardiography, these tests allow technologists to use ultrasound waves to look at arteries and veins that carry blood throughout the body. These tests can be done on the carotid arteries and the arteries and veins of upper or lower extremities to see blood flow to and from the organs. Vascular ultrasound is painless and takes about 45 minutes to perform. No medication or injection is necessary.
Stress Testing
Stress testing is a diagnostic procedure that allows cardiologists to learn how well the patient’s heart functions when it is made to work harder. This test can help detect heart problems that may not be apparent when the patient is at rest. This may include a simple treadmill walking test taking about 30 minutes, or it may involve a nuclear test taking approximately three hours. The nuclear test requires an IV to inject a tracer element that gives off a small amount of radiation that can be detected with a scanning camera. It is especially useful in diagnosing coronary heart disease. For patients who are unable to exercise adequately, the nuclear tracer may be done after the injection of a medication that produces an effect on the heart similar to exercise. These procedures take about three hours to complete and the only preparation is that the patient not eat or drink for eight hours prior to the test.
Cardiac Catheterization
When noninvasive tests reveal a potential problem, cardiac catheterization procedures require only a tiny incision and a local anesthetic. Most Cath procedures can be done on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to return home from the hospital on the same day.
Pulmonary Angiography
During this procedure, the blood vessels of the lungs are examined, allowing physicians to determine if blood flow to the different lobes of the lungs is adequate. Like cardiac catheterization, the procedure is done under local anesthetic with only a tiny incision. When pulmonary angiography is conducted on an outpatient basis the patient may return home the same day.
Peripheral Angiography
Peripheral angiograms are performed to evaluate the arteries of the abdomen, arms, legs, and feet. The physician accesses the artery through a small incision after the administration of a local anesthetic. A small catheter is inserted into the artery to inject dye to help visualize any blockages in the blood vessels. The procedure takes about one hour to perform and can be done on an outpatient basis. If blockages are found during the test, there are several possible treatment options. Medication may be used to open the artery. A metal stent could be placed to keep the artery open. Surgery is also another treatment option.
Renal Artery Angiography
Narrowed arteries can cause problems such as high blood pressure and kidney failure. Renal artery angiography allows the doctors at Delta Regional to use digital technology to examine these blood vessels by injecting dye into the bloodstream through a small incision. The procedure is performed under a local anesthetic. If one or both of the arteries has significant blockage, the narrowed artery can be pressed open using a small balloon. Sometime a small metal stent is placed into the artery to help keep it from narrowing in the future.