Cardiac Diagnostic Tests

When it comes to heart health, knowledge is power. Understanding what's going on inside your body can make all the difference in prevention and treatment. That's where cardiac diagnostic tools come into play.

South Texas Health System Heart offers a range of innovative procedures that help doctors gain insight into how well your heart is functioning. These tests help detect conditions like arrhythmias, coronary artery disease and structural abnormalities. Understanding these elements is vital for diagnosing potential issues before they escalate into serious problems.

Non-Invasive and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Testing

Our laboratory is equipped with non-invasive and minimally invasive tools to help diagnose cardiac disorders and provide doctors with information about heart valves, heart muscle and coronary arteries. Non-invasive cardiac diagnostics can also detect congenital heart abnormalities.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram is often performed to assess the heart's overall function and structure. Doctors use it to detect various cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease, valve disorders and congenital conditions. Patients experiencing symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath may be referred for this test. It provides crucial insights that help determine the underlying causes of these troubling signs. An echocardiogram is a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to create moving images of the heart. It provides valuable information about the size, shape and function of this vital organ.

Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram, commonly known as an ECG or EKG, is a medical test that records the electrical activity of your heart. It captures the rhythm and how well your heart is functioning at any given moment. During the procedure, small electrodes are placed on your skin. These electrodes pick up electrical signals produced by each heartbeat. The data collected creates a visual representation of your heart’s activity on graph paper or a digital screen. This simple yet effective tool can help diagnose various cardiac conditions, ranging from arrhythmias to ischemic heart disease.

Implantable loop recorder

An implantable loop recorder is a small device designed to monitor your heart's electrical activity continuously. About the size of a matchstick, it’s placed just under the skin in your chest, making it minimally invasive. Once implanted, this device captures and stores data about your heart rhythms. It can record irregularities that occur over weeks or months. This feature is particularly useful for patients who experience sporadic symptoms like fainting or palpitations.

Stress test

A stress test is a medical examination designed to assess how well your heart performs under physical exertion. During this test, you typically exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike while being monitored. The goal is to measure your heart rate, blood pressure and rhythm as the intensity increases.

Nuclear stress test

A nuclear stress test is a specialized diagnostic tool used to evaluate heart function. It combines exercise, usually on a treadmill, with the use of a radioactive substance called a tracer. As you exercise, images of your heart are taken using a special camera. This allows doctors to see how well blood flows to your heart muscle during physical activity and at rest. The radioactive tracer highlights areas in the heart that might not be receiving enough blood. This information can reveal potential blockages or other issues affecting cardiovascular health.

Cardiac Catheterization for Diagnosis and Treatment

Cardiac catheterization is used to diagnose and determine heart disease, and to carry out heart treatment procedures that involve biopsies, shunts and stents. Interventional tools such as balloons and stents are fed through a catheter into the coronary arteries to correct abnormal narrowing of arteries and improve blood flow.

Diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures include:

• Cardiac hemodynamic measurement
• Coronary angiography
• Endomyocardial biopsy

Interventional catheterization procedures include:

• Balloon angioplasty
• Atherectomy
• Coronary or peripheral stenting
• Intracoronary thrombolysis
• Primary angioplasty for acute heart attack patients

Diagnosing and Treating Cardiac Arrhythmia

The electrophysiology lab provides diagnostic and treatment options for people with heart rhythm disturbances. Our team of electrophysiologists provide in-hospital and by-appointment diagnostic electrophysiological testing.

Diagnostics include:

• 24- to 48-hour ambulatory Holter ECG monitoring
• Signal average electrocardiograms
• Tilt table testing

Treatments for cardiac arrhythmia include:

• Catheter ablation of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias
• Pacemaker implantation
• Nonthoracotomy placement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator devices
• Antiarrhythmic drug therapy