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What 4 Common Heart Tests
Can Tell You
Meridian Health
MeridianHealth.com • 1-800-DOCTORS
28
If your doctor lowers her
stethoscope and says you need
a cardiac test, take heart. Many
screenings and procedures are quick,
painless, and noninvasive. They give
your caregivers an accurate picture of
your heart health — and help ensure
that your ticker keeps on ticking.
Here are four common tests you may
need to have done.
1
Don’t Stress Over a
Stress Test
The “stress” in this test is nothing to
worry about. “It’s simply an indication
of how your heart responds to work,”
explains Tommy K. Ng, M.D., of
Southern Ocean Medical Center.
Also called a treadmill test or an
exercise test, it’s usually performed
while you walk on a treadmill.
Tiny wires connect your chest to
Dale E. Edlin, M.D.
Board certified in Cardiovascular
Disease, Internal Medicine, and
Nuclear Cardiology
Shrewsbury • 732-542-7600
Thomas Komorowski, M.D.
Board certified in Cardiovascular
Disease, Interventional Cardiology,
and Internal Medicine
Brick • 732-840-0600
Leonid Mandel, M.D.
Board certified in
Internal Medicine and
Cardiovascular Disease
Neptune • 732-776-8500
Tommy K. Ng, M.D.
Board certified in Cardiovascular
Disease, Interventional Cardiology,
and Internal Medicine
Manahawkin • 609-978-2337
monitoring equipment that tracks
your heart while you move. After
exercising, you rest while your heart
and blood pressure are checked.
A stress test can:
• Reveal an inadequate blood supply
to your heart
• Help the doctor diagnose
symptoms such as chest pain,
light-headedness, or shortness
of breath
• Evaluate your response to
medications
• Suggest what type of exercise
you should do
“In some cases, the test is done on
a stationary bike or with medication
that temporarily speeds up your
heart rate,” Dr. Ng says. Other
options include a stress echo, which
is an ultrasound scan of your heart
at work, and a thallium stress test,
which uses a radioactive substance
and special photographs to show
how well blood flows into your heart
during and after exercise.
2
EKG: A Picture of Your
Heart Health
You’ve probably seen those graphs
that show a heartbeat as a series
of peaks and valleys. Those images
are called electrocardiograms —
abbreviated as EKGs or ECGs — and
they record the heart’s electrical
activity.
“EKG testing is fast, simple, and
painless,” says Leonid Mandel,
M.D., of Jersey Shore University
Medical Center. While you lie down,
electrodes are placed at specific
points on your chest, arms, and legs.
You won’t feel anything, but the
procedure will be tracing the activity
of your heart.
Abnormal tracings may indicate
problems such as:
• Heart damage
caused by a heart
attack or reduced
oxygen levels in
your heart
• An abnormal heart
rhythm, called an
arrhythmia
• A problem with
a heart valve
“EKGs are also
used to check how
well a pacemaker
is functioning or
determine whether heart medication
or other treatments have been
effective,” Dr. Mandel says.
3
Going Deeper with
Cardiac Cath
If a stress test or EKG suggests
you could have heart disease,
your doctor may need to perform
cardiac catheterization to arrive at
a diagnosis. “Also known as ‘cardiac
cath,’ the test is often done on an
outpatient basis,” notes Thomas
Komorowski, M.D., of Ocean
Medical Center.
During the procedure, a small,
hollow tube called a catheter is
inserted into a blood vessel in your
groin or arm and threaded up toward
your heart. Once it’s in place, your
doctor can perform tests and even
some treatment procedures.
“One common test is called
coronary angiography or
arteriography,” Dr. Komorowski says.
Dye is injected into the catheter so it
flows into your heart. Then, with the
use of a special type of X-ray called
fluoroscopy, any blockages in your
arteries will be visible.
Cardiac cath can help identify issues
such as coronary artery disease, heart
failure, and birth defects.