Nuclear imaging, or scanning, techniques produce highly accurate pic- tures of your heart and its function by introducing a small, safe amount of radiation into your body. Trace amounts of radioactive material, called radionuclides, are injected into your bloodstream. The radionuclides tag your red blood cells and circulate with them into your heart and heart […]
Echocardiography uses high-frequency sound waves (also called ultra- sound) to produce a moving image of your heart. The sound waves are introduced into your body through a handheld device called a trans- ducer. They bounce off the structures and ?uids in the heart and return as echoes through the transducer. The echoes are converted into […]
Beyond routine blood tests that are done to assess a variety of condi- tions, some blood tests are speci?c to the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Blood tests can indicate the levels of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), cardiac enzymes (markers of cardiac damage), the oxygen content, and the amount of time it takes for your blood […]
Even though far more sophisticated imaging techniques have been developed, the basic chest X-ray can occasionally be a useful tool to assess your cardiovascular system. The X-ray technique works by pass- ing a small, relatively safe amount of radiation through your body and onto a piece of ?lm. The chest X-ray gives your doctor an […]
As with other stress tests, an exercise echocardiogram shows how your heart functions when it is working harder. It is most often done to con- ?rm or rule out coronary artery disease. The moving image enables your doctor to see where blockages are occurring. A stress echocardiogram may be done in a doctor’s of?ce or […]
Electrocardiography is a technique to study your heart’s electrical activ- ity by recording the path of an electrical impulse from its origin in the sinoatrial node through your heart as it causes the heart to contract (see page 11). The printout of this activity, an electrocardiogram, is a graph of the electrical activity of each […]
If you experience any symptoms that might be indicators of a heart problem—such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or a pounding heart—see your doctor immediately. He or she will interview you thoroughly about your medical history and symptoms and then do a physical examination to try to detect what might be causing the symptoms. […]
The best way to monitor your health is to see your doctor and work together as a team for your health. Many of the major risk factors (such as blood pressure and cholesterol) are apparent only with a med- ical examination. The earlier you can identify a problem area and start to work on it, […]
In addition to the major risk factors for heart disease (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, smoking, and diabetes), stress can be a contributing factor. The effects of stress on your heart health are dif?cult to study and quantify in part because people not only expe- rience different levels of stress, but they also […]
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurs when the blood vessels in the leg are narrowed or plugged by the buildup of plaque. Atherosclerosis, the process that causes PAD, tends to start earlier in life and progress more rapidly in people with diabetes. In most people, PAD is symptomless in its early stages. If the disease progresses […]
