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During the course of your medical care, you may require certain diagnostic tests at the discretion of your physician. Fortunately, Cardiology Associates is able to offer all non-invasive cardiovascular tests in the office. These diagnostic tests include:

EKG - Electrocardiograms provide information regarding the electrical activity of the heart, as well as various other cardiac abnormalities such as heart attacks. These are often necessary to make a diagnosis as well as for follow-up.

CHEST X RAY - This test helps in the initial evaluation and follow-up of numerous cardiac and pulmonary conditions.

HOLTER MONITORING - An ambulatory Holter monitor is a portable 24-hour tape recording of your heart beat used to detect irregularities in rhythm.

EVENT RECORDING - Patient-activated Holter monitor-like recorders and continuous event monitors are used for an extended period of time and is helpful in the evaluation of sporadic cardiac symptoms or events.

PACEMAKER CLINIC - There are several tests that can be performed to evaluate your pacemaker. Many of the routine pacer checks are done via telephone transmission from the patient's home. Periodically, the patient may need to come to the office for a more formal evaluation or for computerized reprogramming of the device.

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY - An echocardiogram is a simple, yet very essential, non-invasive test that uses two-dimensional, Doppler, M-mode, and color flow ultrasonic imaging for the assessment of chamber size and function, valve function, physiological information (blood flow velocities, gradients and pressures) and other important disorders such as congenital heart defects.

VASCULAR STUDIES - These non-invasive tests are beneficial in the assessment of peripheral vascular disease or circulation disorders. Using various ultrasound and pressure recording techniques, the arteries and veins of the extremities can be studied. In addition, these exams can identify abnormalities in the carotid arteries of the neck and also the abdominal aorta.

EECP (Enhanced External Counter Pulsation) - The EECP procedure is a non-invasive, outpatient treatment that can relieve or eliminate angina in selected patients. The EECP system compresses your lower limbs to increase blood flow toward your heart. Each wave of pressure is electronically timed to your heartbeat so that the increased blood flow is delivered to your heart at the precise moment it is relaxing. When the heart pumps again, pressure is released instantaneously. This lowers the resistance in the blood vessels of your legs so that blood may be pumped more easily from the heart, thereby decreasing the amount of work required of your heart muscle.

IMPEDANCE CARDIOGRAPHY - Impedance cardiography (ICG), also known as cardiac electrical bioimpedance, a form of plethysmography, monitors cardiac output by non-invasively measuring hemodynamic parameters, including: stroke volume, systemic vascular resistance, and thoracic fluid status. Noninvasive cardiac output monitoring with ICG shows great promise in the outpatient management of congestive heart failure patients, in the pacemaker clinic for pacemaker optimization, and in diagnosing early rejection in heart transplant patients.

CALCIUM SCORING - Cardiac CT can rapidly scan the heart and determine the precise amount of calcium present in the coronary arteries. This finding is a direct indication of atherosclerosis which leads to blockage in the arteries. An elevated coronary artery calcium score more accurately predicts coronary heart disease risk in adults. Calcium scoring is a simple, reliable non-invasive test that will identify individuals with early coronary disease so that appropriate interventions can be implemented before evetns occur.

CT CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY - Patients undergoing a Coronary CTA scan receive a small amount of an iodine-contatining contrast dye as in IV solution through an arm vein to ensure the best images possible. CTA of the coronaries can then help in the non-invasive assessment of the severity of blockages, including patients with previous revascularization procedures, such as stenting and bypass surgery. It can also visualize the atherosclerotic plaque in the vessel walls directly and even identify soft, non-calcified plaque which can be seen in the early stages of atherosclerosis. In addition, CTA scanning can provide superb imaging of the peripheral vasculature, including carotids, aorta, renal arteries, and pulmonary arteries.

TILT TABLE - The tilt table test checks to see how a change in position—from lying to standing—affects heart rate and blood pressure. Your doctor uses the test to try and reproduce your symptoms of syncope (fainting). There are many causes for syncope. One possible cause is a sudden slowing of the heart, combined with a drop in blood pressure. This reduces the amount of blood flowing to the brain, and fainting can result.

Stress Testing

This procedure is an important exam which is beneficial for the evaluation and follow-up of coronary artery disease, chest pain syndromes, functional capacity (exercise tolerance) and analysis of blood pressure and heart rate responses. These tests are performed under constant rhythm and blood pressure monitoring by a cardiologist and technician:

TREADMILL EXERCISE TEST - This type of stress test is conducted on a treadmill using various walking protocols. Depending on the patient, your cardiologist may opt to select a more sophisticated test by using heart images for obtaining more information about your heart.

STRESS ECHO - This type of imaging stress test combines the use of a walking treadmill coupled with echo (ultrasound) pictures of the heart before and after exercise which are then processed by a special computer. For patients who have difficulty walking on a treadmill, a "pharmacological" (Dobutamine, Dipyridamole, Adenosine) stress echo would substitute for the treadmill. In our experience, the use of these FDA-approved drugs are very well tolerated by the patient.

NUCLEAR CARDIOLOGY - Our state-of-the-art Nuclear laboratory performs several types of cardiovascular diagnostic tests. With the use of hi-tech computers, we can analyze relative blood flow and global function of the heart muscle. Nuclear cardiac tests may be used in conjunction with treadmill or pharmacologic stress tests.

Cardiology Associates of Fort Lauderdale, P.A.
4725 N. Federal Hwy, Suite #401
The Jim Moran Heart and Vascular Center
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
Phone: (954) 772-2136
Fax: (954) 772-7156