We provide the following heart and cardiac services in our office.
* EKG / ECG
* Holter Monitor
* Exercise Stress Testing
* Coumadin Clinic
We will be adding more services as we see them fit for our patients.
* EKG / ECG
An EKG or ECG, also known as Electrocardiography is a non invasive, painless and simple recording produced by an electro cardiographic device. Electrocardiography is a transthoracic interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart over time captured and externally recorded by skin electrodes.
This test is able to determine how fast your heart is beating, if the rhythm of your heartbeat is steady or irregular and also the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of your heart .
Your doctor may perform this test in order to examine the function of your heart. During this test, electrodes are placed on the chest, arms and legs.
Your heart’s electrical signals are then recorded and read by you physician who will then go over the results with you during your visit.
* Holter Monitor
Holter monitor also known as an ambulatory electrocardiography device is a portable device for continuously monitoring the electrical activity of the heart for 24 hours or more. Its extended recording period is sometimes useful for observing occasional cardiac arrhythmias that would be difficult to identify in a shorter period of time.
This is a painless non invasive test that occurs for 24 hrs. The holter device is worn during your regular daily activities and so it helps your physician correlate symptoms of dizziness, palpitations (a sensation of fast or irregular heart rhythm) or black outs. Electrodes are placed on the chest and the recording device is worn on a belt around the waist. You will be given a diary to record activities such as running and sleeping, symptoms, and times that their symptoms occur.
You will not be able to shower when the device is hooked up so it is better to shower before the device is hooked up and then shower after the device is taken off. When you return to the office, the recording is removed from the recorder and scanned by a technician. Multiple EKG strips will be obtained as well as a summary that provides details about your heart rate and rhythm during the recording. This information is then provided to your doctor who will analyze the results and discuss the findings with you.
* Exercise Cardiac Stress Testing
A cardiac stress test is a medical test that indirectly reflects arterial blood flow to the heart during physical exercise. When compared to blood flow during rest, the test reflects imbalances of blood flow to the heart’s left ventricular muscle tissue – the part of the heart that performs the greatest amount of work pumping blood. There are 2 forms of Cardiac Stress Testing, the Exercise ( using the Treadmill) and the Thallium Stress Test (nuclear scanning test or myocardial perfusion ). In our office we only offer the Exercise Cardiac Stress Testing.
Exercise stress testing is an important diagnostic tool for the evaluation of suspected or known cardiac disease. This test helps your doctor find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart. It also helps doctors know the kind and level of exercise appropriate for a patient.
You will need to wear comfortable clothing during your test, for men you will be able to do the test bare chest and for women, a sports bra is recommended.
An exercise stress test according to the American Heart Association is used to:
Diagnose coronary artery disease
Diagnose a possible heart-related cause of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness
Determine a safe level of exercise
Check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve coronary artery circulation in patients with coronary artery disease
Predict risk of dangerous heart-related conditions such as a heart attack.
* Coumadin Clinic
To serve our patients better we offer an in-house Anti-Coagulation/Coumadin Therapy Clinic for our patients who are taking Coumadin or Warfarin. During your Coumadin Clinic Visit, you will get your test done and your dose managed in that visit
Read more about our Coumadin Clinic
