Medical Conditions Treated
Angina
Angina is chest pain that is caused when the flow of blood to the heart is reduced. It can be a symptom of coronary artery disease. It may be hard to distinguish angina from other chest pain caused by indigestion. Typically it is described as a weight on the chest area, squeezing or tightness or pain.
Arrhythmias
An arrhythmia is a disorder of your heart beat rhythm. When the heart beats too fast, this is called tachycardia. A heart beat that is too slow is called bradycardia. Some people experience no symptoms at all while others experience dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain or fainting.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial Fibrillation occurs, when the upper chambers of the heart beat rapidly, and it is out of sync with the lower chambers of the heart. When this occurs, patients may experience shortness of breath, weakness and the sensation of heart palpitations.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. The heart muscle becomes rigid, thickened or enlarged. Over time, the heart becomes weaker; it becomes harder for the muscle to maintain a regular rhythm. This can cause arrhythmia, heart valve problems and can lead to heart failure.
Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure or congestive heart failure is a condition when your heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to keep your body supplied.
Narrowed arteries or high blood pressure eventually take their toll on the heart leaving it stiff and weak and unable to pump blood efficiently.
Coronary Artery Disease
The coronary arteries supply your heart with blood. When these become blocked or diseased, the amount of oxygen and nutrients your heart is receiving is reduced. Over time, this will result in reduced performance of the heart.
Left untreated, a complete blockage of the arteries can occur, and this may lead to a heart attack. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and any of the symptoms that may be associated with heart disease signs and symptoms.
Edema (swelling)
Edema or swelling occurs when fluid becomes trapped in any part of the body. You may have noticed your hands, feet or ankles, swollen at some point.
Non-threatening edema can be a result of too many salty foods, sitting in one position for too long, pregnancy or a number of causes. In most cases, edema will go away naturally. When help is needed, drugs called diuretics are used to help the body get rid of excess fluid.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Blood pressure is simply a measurement of the force of blood, against the walls of the arteries. If the pressure is high, it causes health problems.
When the heart pumps blood into arteries that are narrowed due to heart disease, the pressure on the artery walls is increased. This will weaken and damage the walls.
Tests and Procedures
Echocardiography
An Echocardiography is a diagnostic method in which a handheld device is placed on the chest and high-frequency sound waves produce images of the heart’s size, structure and motion. An “echo” provides valuable information about the health of the heart and abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias).
Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG)
Electrocardiography is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. With each heartbeat, an electrical impulse travels through the heart. This impulse causes the heart muscle to squeeze and pump blood from the heart.
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) is a test that produces pictures of your heart. TEE uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make detailed pictures of your heart and the arteries that lead to and from it.
Cardioversion
Cardioversion is the delivery of an electrical shock to a person’s heart to rapidly restore an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) back to normal. External cardioversion is performed with a defibrillator, either in an emergency situation or as a scheduled treatment for arrhythmia.
Arrhythmia Monitoring
- Event Monitoring
- Holter Monitoring
- Telemetry Monitoring
Arrhythmia monitoring refers to tests we use to identify the type and the cause of irregular heart rhythms. These tests include electrocardiographic (ECG) testing and electrophysiology (EP) testing.
Interrogation(Checks)
- Pacemaker Interrogation
- Defibrillator Interrogation/ICD
An artificial pacemaker is an electrical device implanted to keep a heart beating at the right speed and rhythm.
Stress Testing
- Nuclear Stress Testing
- Treadmill Stress Testing/ECG
- Stress Echocardiography
A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work.
Ultrasound
- Abdominal Ultrasound
- Carotid Ultrasound
- Lower Extremity Ultrasound
Different type of Ultrasound tests are just one of the ways we continue working in the prevention of heart disease, and the restoration of healthy hearts.