Preparing for a Cardiac Procedure
At some point, most heart patients will require a diagnostic cardiology procedure to help determine the cause of symptoms and explore treatment possibilities. Fortunately, Sound Heart offers the Eastside a complete array of proven procedures, facilities—and, most important—the area's leading interventional cardiologists. Many Sound Heart cardiologists have been rated top doctors by their peers in Seattle Magazine.
Talk through any questions or concerns with your primary care physician and/or cardiologist. He or she can explain what to expect in detail. After many of these procedures, patients can leave the same day. Some require being admitted to the hospital for additional medical care.
- Angiography
- Angiography is the study of the arterial blood vessels of the body. Patients are sedated during this procedure so they can remain very still, and most do not recall any details. A cardiology team injects a contrast dye through a tiny catheter (a thin flexible tube). A rapid succession of X-rays is taken to view how well blood is moving through the arteries.
- Cardiac Catheterization
- Catheterizations provide diagnostic information or are used to actually help repair heart problems. Patients are sedated during this procedure so they can remain very still, and most do not recall any details. A catheter (a thin, flexible tube) is inserted into the right or left side of the heart and coronary arteries. Catheterization can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart's chambers, collect blood samples from the heart and examine the arteries of the heart. After a catheterization, patients recover at the hospital an average of two and a half days.
- Coronary Angioplasty
- This is a catheterization procedure performed in the "cath" lab by a cardiologist. A thin, flexible tube is inserted into the heart and coronary arteries. A tiny balloon-like device can be inflated to push the blocking plaque against the wall of the artery to improve blood flow. Stents are also commonly used during coronary angioplasty. In this procedure, a mesh tube is expanded to the exact shape of the artery to free up blood flow.
- Echocardiography
- An echocardiogram, often called an "echo," is a graphic outline of the heart's movement. During this test, high-frequency sound waves (called ultrasound) are sent into the body. Echoes received are used to produce an image of the heart's chambers and valves. This allows the sonographer to evaluate chamber size, muscle function and valve structure and function. In conjunction with two-dimensional pictures, Doppler ultrasound and color Doppler are used to evaluate the blood flow through the heart and across the valves.
- Electrocardiogram
- An electrocardiograph (ECG) detects the electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract. Changes in the ECG signal can indicate electrical disturbances of the heart conducting system, as well as structural abnormalities. For the ECG to chart the heart's electrical activity, electrodes are placed on the chest, wrists and ankles and are connected to a monitor that displays the heart's electrical impulses.
- Electrophysiology
- Electrophysiology detects and measures electrical problems in the heart (the cause of irregular heartbeats). An electrophysiology (EP) study is a test where electrode catheters (long, flexible wires) are introduced into veins and placed under X-ray guidance into the heart. EP studies abnormal heart rhythms under controlled situations to diagnose what the specific problem with your heart's electrical system may be.
- Nuclear Cardiology
- Nuclear cardiology evaluates the function of the heart using radioisotopes that are injected into the bloodstream, then tracked by a camera that photographs the progress of the isotopes through the body. Nuclear cardiology can also examine how well blood is flowing to the heart muscle and measure the pumping function of the heart.
- Stress Echocardiography
- A stress echocardiogram (or "stress echo") is a non-invasive test that combines ultrasound pictures of the heart with an exercise test. It checks the coronary arteries for narrowing by evaluating muscle function at rest and after exercise.