Cardiology Procedures

An Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) is a small electronic device that is implanted in the chest or abdomen to control abnormal heart rhythm and prevent sudden cardiac arrest. The ICD detects the abnormal heart rhythms and restores normal heart rhythm by delivering electrical impulses to the heart muscle.

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body. The rhythmic beating of the heart is triggered by electrical signals. A change or interruption in these signals can cause a change in the rhythm of the heart. A pacemaker is a small device inserted into the chest cavity to correct and stabilize the heart rhythm.

An electrophysiology study or EPS is a diagnostic procedure to look more closely at the electrical function of your heart. It is the most accurate and reliable method of evaluating your heart rhythms and will help your physician determine the treatment option that is most appropriate for you.

Exercise stress echocardiogram is a test performed to evaluate your heart’s function and pattern of heart rate during activity. It is indicated to check your heart’s tolerance to activity, assess the effectiveness of cardiac treatment and determine your chances of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). Exercise stress echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of your heart activity while you exercise.

A Holter monitoring study, also known as 24-hour ambulatory ECG, is a painless, portable diagnostic test that measures your heart’s activity for 24 to 48 hours while you perform your daily normal routine.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a medical test that measures and records the electrical activity of the heart. The heart is a muscular organ that beats rhythmically to pump blood throughout the body delivering oxygen to organs and tissues. The sinoatrial node, SA node, is the natural pacemaker of the heart. It sends signals to the muscle fibers of the heart telling them when to contract. Each contraction is one heartbeat.

A nuclear stress test is an imaging technique to evaluate how well blood flows into the heart muscle, both during activity and at rest. The test involves the administration of a small amount of radioactive material, such as thallium or sestamibi, into the bloodstream through a vein and capturing your heart images using a positron emission technology (PET) scanner or single photo emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanner.

Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to generate high-quality dynamic images of the heart and its blood vessels. TEE employs an ultrasound transducer to produce sound waves and is positioned on an endoscope (long, thin, flexible instrument) that is guided down the throat into your esophagus.

A pacemaker is a small device that is implanted under the skin of the chest or abdomen to regularize an abnormal heart rhythm by transmitting regular electrical impulses to the heart muscle. Hence a pacemaker helps to relieve the symptoms due to abnormal cardiac rhythm and enables the patient to resume an active lifestyle.

The heart is a muscular organ that circulates blood to the entire body by the beating of the heart. The heartbeat is stimulated by an electrical system, which follows a specific pattern and circuit. The electric current causes the heart muscles to contract and expand in a rhythmic fashion, and pump blood to the entire body.

Advanced cardiac stress testing is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that utilizes Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Axial Tomography (PET/CT) to provide detailed images of the coronary arteries, at rest as well as under stress through (increased blood flow induced by a medication). It determines the ability of the heart to respond to stress and evaluates the adequacy of blood supply to the heart.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a noninvasive imaging modality that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound), to examine and obtain images of the heart. A small instrument called a transducer is placed on different locations of the chest wall. The transducer sends ultrasound waves to the deeper internal structures and picks up the echo signals. The computer attached to the echo machine converts them into images that are projected on a monitor.

Peripheral arterial and venous ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that produces images of the arteries and veins in the arms or legs using high-frequency sound waves to detect disease, injury, or other abnormalities.

A carotid doppler is an ultrasound imaging technique used to determine the presence of possible blockages in the carotid arteries that run on either side of the neck and carry blood to the brain. A carotid Doppler helps visualize the carotid arteries and the blood flowing through them.

An abdominal aortic ultrasound is a safe and painless diagnostic procedure that uses sound waves to produce real-time images of the aorta within your abdomen in order to detect abnormalities such as an aneurysm.Small pulses of inaudible, high-frequency sound waves are passed through the abdomen from a special handheld device known as the transducer, which is pressed against the skin.