An accurate diagnosis is the first step in treating any sort of heart abnormality or disease. There are a number of ways doctors at Torrington Community Hospital can diagnose heart ailments and recommend the best method of treatment. Following are some the most common used at this facility. For each method there are several different approaches. It is best to speak with your doctor to determine what specific testing you need.

Computed Tomography (CT or CAT Scan)
The CT scanner creates 3-dimensional images of the heart and the coronary arteries in just five heartbeats, allowing cardiologists to look at the heart's action with unprecedented clarity and quality.

Echocardiography
During an echocardiogram, also called an echo, a technician uses a painless technique to send sound waves into the patient’s chest. This produces a moving picture of the heart and heart valves.

Electrocardiography (ECG)
Also called EKG, an electrocardiogram measures the electrical activity in a heartbeat. Patients can be hooked to electrodes or wear a heart monitor (a small box that weighs less than one pound). The monitoring devices send signals to a technician that observes the heart rate and rhythm.

Nuclear Imaging
Nuclear medicine is a unique type of medical imaging that uses very small and safe amounts of radioactive materials in conjunction with a specialized camera to diagnose and treat disease. Heart scans are most often used to image blood flow to, and the function of, the heart.

Treadmill Stress Testing
Stress/exercise testing involves studying the heart while under maximum cardiac stress. It allows a technician to measure the heart's efficiency when subjected to predetermined exercise or cardiac medications. Patients may walk on a treadmill or lie still under a camera depending on how the physician wants to see their heart function.