The Cardiology Department offers a variety of diagnostic testing for inpatient and outpatients. Tests ordered by your physician must be scheduled.

EKG Holter Monitor Stress Test Echocardiogram

EKG
An EKG is a test to determine the electric activity of your heart. Twelve leads are connected to your chest, arms, and legs via stickers (electrodes) to acquire the needed information. Back to Top

Holter Monitor
Holter Monitoring is a continuous recording of your EKG usually for 24 hours, while you go about your daily activities.

Holter Monitoring, which is named after the man who designed the test, is also known as ambulatory EKG. The holter monitor is a small portable tape recorder worn on a strap near the shoulder or around the wrist. Several electrodes (small sticky patches) are placed on your chest and connected by wires to the recorder.

Your EKG is recorded continuously on tape (or computer chip) and then played back and printed out. This allows doctors to detect any abnormalities and compare them to activities and symptoms.

Holter Monitoring is especially useful in diagnosing abnormal heart rhythms which may occur during brief periods as in a clinic and hospital while doing a routine EKG. The test is also useful to access reoccurring symptoms of dizziness, fainting, palpitating, effectiveness of medications and pacemakers.

You'll keep a diary in which you enter your activities and any symptoms you experience and the time this occurred.

Holter Monitoring is very safe and thus has no risk involved. It is only a minimal inconvenience to carry the recorder. Back to Top

Stress Test
An exercise EKG test allows doctors to learn how well your heart functions, when it is made to work hard. This test can help detect heart problems that may not be apparent at rest.

The exercise EKG test is done while you walk on a treadmill. During the test an EKG recorders the electrical activity of your heart.

A trained technician (or nurse) will place several electrodes (small sticky patches) on your chest and shoulders to allow recording of EKG during exercise. The electrodes are connected by wires to an EKG machine with a monitor. A blood pressure cuff is applied to your arm to monitor your blood pressure. You will be shown how to step onto the treadmill and how to use support rails to maintain balance. The treadmill starts slowly and the speed and incline are gradually increased. Your blood pressure will be checked every few minutes and your EKG tracing watched for any abnormal changes. You will be instructed to report any symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, leg fatigue or dizziness. The test will end when you become too tired, have significant symptoms (examples shortness of breath) or when you reach your peak heart rate.
Doctors can see how well your heart functions during exercise or exert by studying what happens during the test.

The length of time you were able to exercise.
Did you have significant symptoms.
What happened to your heart rate and blood pressure.
What did the EKG show.
The exercise test is especially useful in diagnosing blockage in the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed, the heart muscle may not be getting enough oxygen during activity and this may result in angina or abnormal EKG changes. Back to Top

Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram is a test that uses ultrasound waves to examine the heart. It provides doctors with important information about the heart such as

size of the heart and chambers.
pumping strength (whether the heart is pumping at full strength or weakened and whether various parts of the heart pump equally.)
valves of the heart chambers (to determine if a valve is narrowed or leaking.)
presence of fluid around the heart.
blood clots or massive inside the heart
abnormal holes between heart chambers
The echocardiogram is a safe and painless test. Electrodes (small sticky patches) and wires are attached to your chest and shoulder to record your electrocardiogram. Lying on your back or left side, a clear gel is applied to the area of the chest where the transducer will be placed. The test takes 20 minutes to an hour.

During the test a transducer is held against the chest . The transducer sends ultrasound waves that reflect (i.e. echoes) off different parts of the heart. A computer using this information coming from the heart constructs an image that is displayed on a video screen which is then recorded on videotape. Three different techniques are used in the study; M-mode which looks like tracing, two dimensional which shows actual shapes and motions of the heart, Doppler which is used to evaluate blood flow.

One major benefit of and echocardiogram is that it gives information to the doctor about the heart's structures and blood flow without entering the body. This information helps doctors make an accurate diagnosis and develop treatment plans. The major limitation is in obtaining good quality images in patients who have broad chests, are obese or suffer from chronic lung disease. Back to Top