Cardiac Diagnostics
The skilled staff of Enloe Medical Center's Cardiac Diagnostics department facilitate
a variety of tests to help determine of patient symptoms.
Common cardiac diagnostic procedures at Enloe include:
Electrocardiograms
Also called or ECGs, electrocardiograms are performed
by placing electrode patches on the chest and extremities and connecting
them to a machine. The sensors pick up electrical activity in the
heart and send the results to the printer and a monitor. A lot of
information can be obtained from an electrocardiogram, including
heart rate and heart rhythm. It can help determine if a heart attack
is occurring and reveal where the damage is located.
Exercise stress tests
Exercise stress tests are used to look for coronary heart disease
or blocked coronary arteries. Patients undergoing this test walk
on a treadmill machine while a technician monitors their symptoms
and blood pressure, and an electrocardiogram. If
patients cannot exercise, the heart is "stressed"
with drugs that mimic the effect of exercise on the treadmill.
Ambulatory electrocardiographic
monitoring
This monitoring includes Holter monitoring and event monitoring.
Both these tests provide the doctor with information about how the
patient's heart responds during normal daily activities over a period
of time. These tests can be done for several days or longer depending
on the information the doctor needs.
Echocardiography
Echocardiography is a relatively simple test in which high-frequency
sound waves are bounced off the heart to create an image of its
structures, somewhat like the sonar a submarine uses underwater.
Using a sound probe placed at various locations on the chest, the
doctor can see an image of the pumping action of the heart and how
the valves are working.
Exercise echocardiography
Exercise echocardiography is another type of stress test combining
exercise and echocardiogram pictures to
show the contraction of the heart. Like exercise stress tests, drugs
can be used to for patients who cannot exercise.
Nuclear perfusion tests
These tests use a small amount of a radioactive agent to study
blood flow, how the chambers of the heart are functioning and how
big they are. These tests may be used to monitor the progress of
disease in patients. They may be done with an exercise
stress test.
For more information about the cardiac diagnostic service,
please call 530.332.7910.
Contact Us
Heart Program's Cardiac Diagnostics
Enloe Medical Center
1531 Esplanade
Chico, CA 95926
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