ANNOUNCEMENT!

A nuclear exercise stress test is a diagnostic test used to evaluate blood flow to the heart. Combined with exercise, the test can help determine if there is adequate blood flow to the heart during activity versus at rest.

The test will show images/pictures that will help your doctor know if there is an area of your heart that is not getting enough blood. Nuclear imaging material is also given. It is not a dye and is safe. Persantine, along with nuclear imaging material, is given through an IV (intravenous) in your arm. Then, images/pictures of your heart are taken.

An electrocardiogram (EKG) test is a simple, painless procedure that measures electrical signals in your heart. Each time your heart beats, an electrical signal travels through the heart. An EKG can show if your heart is beating at a normal rate and strength. It also helps show the size and position of your heart's chambers.

a test that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make detailed pictures of your heart and the arteries that lead to and from it. The sound waves for TEE are attached to a thin tube that passes through your mouth, down your throat and into your esophagus. Because the esophagus is so close to the upper chambers of the heart, very clear images of those heart structures and valves can be obtained.

During a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), a technician obtains views of the heart by moving a small instrument called a transducer to different locations on the chest or abdominal wall. A transducer, which resembles a microphone, sends sound waves into the chest and picks up echoes that reflect off different parts of the heart.

Angioplasty is a medical procedure that opens up a blocked or narrowed artery around the heart. It is a standard treatment for narrowed or blocked arteries in this area of the body.

An evaluation to determine if your heart is able to withstand the complexities of surgery. This evaluation is usually done after all necessary testing is complete.