Heart Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is the first step in treating any sort of heart abnormality or disease at Washakie Medical Center. Please speak with your doctor to determine what specific testing you need.

Tests include:

• Computed Tomography
  (CT or CAT Scan)
• Echocardiography
• Electrocardiography (ECG)
• Nuclear Imaging
• Treadmill Stress Testing

Computed Tomography (CT or CAT Scan)
The CT scanner creates 3-dimensional images of the heart and the coronary arteries in just five heartbeats.

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. Patients may walk on a treadmill or lie still under a camera.

For More Information
	Podcasts: Cardiac tests info
	Video: What happens in a cardiac stress test
	What is your risk for coronary artery disease?