Heart test name list

Electrophysiology studies (EP studies) are tests that help doctors understand the cause of abnormal heart rhythms ( Electrophysiologic testing uses catheters inserted into the heart to find out where abnormal heartbeats are coming from. During an EP study, a thin tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel that leads to your heart. Then specialized electrodes are placed in the heart to send electrical signals and measure electrical activity in your heart. EP studies are used to see: • Where an arrhythmia is coming from. • How well certain • Whether to treat a problem by destroying the place inside your heart that is causing the abnormal electrical signal. This procedure is called • If a • If you are at risk for heart problems such as What are the risks of EP studies? In most cases, the procedure is very safe. Discuss this with your health care professional. Some possible risks may include: • Arrhythmia. During EP study, you may have abnormal heart rhythms that make you dizzy. If this happens, your doctor may give your heart an electric shock to bring back a regular heartbeat. • • Heart valve damage • Blood clots sometimes can form at the tip of the catheter, break off and block a blood vessel. Your doctor may give you medicine to prevent blood clots. • Infection, bleeding and bruising at the site where the catheter went in (groin, arm or neck). Your doctor or nurse will help you avoid these problems. How do I prepare for the test? • Don’t eat or drink anything f...

Abdomen –The area of the body between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the thighs . Abdominal aorta– The portion of the aorta in the abdomen. Ablation– Elimination or removal. ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor– A medicine that lowers blood pressure by interfering with the breakdown of a protein-like substance involved in blood pressure regulation. Acetylcholine– A type of chemical (called a neurotransmitter) that transmits messages among nerve cells and muscle cells. Acquired heart disease– Heart disease that arises after birth, usually from infection or through the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries that feed the heart muscle. Alveoli– Air sacs in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. Amiodarone – A kind of medicine (called an antiarrhythmic) used to treat irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. It works by regulating nerve impulses in your heart. Amiodarone is mainly given to patients who have not responded to other antiarrhythmic medicines. Aneurysm– A sac-like protrusion from a blood vessel or the heart, resulting from a weakening of the vessel wall or heart muscle. Angina or angina pectoris– Chest pain that occurs when diseased blood vessels restrict blood flow to the heart. Angiography– An x-ray technique in which dye is injected into the chambers of your heart or the arteries that lead to your heart (the coronary arteries). The test lets doctors measure the blood flow and blood pres...

A nuclear cardiac stress test helps diagnose and monitor heart problems such as coronary artery disease. A provider injects a small amount of radioactive substance into your bloodstream. Then a special camera takes pictures of blood flow in and around the heart. The test has two phases: once when you’re resting and once after you exercise. Overview What is a nuclear cardiac stress test? This test helps diagnose heart disease. A healthcare provider injects a small amount of a radioactive substance (called a tracer or radiopharmaceutical) into the bloodstream. Your blood vessels and heart muscle absorb the tracer, making them more visible in images. Then the provider uses a special camera to take pictures of blood flow in and around the heart. The test may also be called: • Cardiac PET (positron emission tomography). • Cardiac SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography). • Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). • Nuclear stress test. Types of nuclear cardiac stress tests A healthcare provider can use two different imaging technologies for a nuclear cardiac stress test: PET or SPECT. Another way a nuclear stress test can be classified is whether it involves physical activity or medication to stress the heart: • Exercise stress test: You exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike to increase blood flow to the heart and reach a target heart rate. • Pharmacologic stress test: If you can’t exercise, you receive medication to increase blood flow and stress the heart. What does...

Cardiac blood tests can give your provider insight into how well your heart is functioning. Combining this information with your medical history and your family history can help your provider determine your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some tests, like the ones that measure cholesterol, are common. Others are not as well-known. Overview What are cardiac blood tests? Cardiac blood tests help your healthcare provider determine your risk of getting heart and blood vessel diseases. Your provider will consider your test results and look at your There are a number of different Cholesterol-related tests • Total • • High-density lipoprotein (HDL or the “good” cholesterol), which eliminates bad cholesterol. • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or the “bad” cholesterol), which can build up in arteries. Protein-related tests • Lipoprotein (a), an additional lipoprotein that is present in some people and increased heart risk. • Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a protein that is included in bad cholesterol. • Fibrinogen, a protein in your blood that helps it clot. • Aminoterminal, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a protein your heart makes which is increased in heart failure. Indicators of inflammation, which may play a role in forming plaque • Ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP). • MPO (myeloperoxidase). Tests for diabetes, a disease that can harm blood vessels • • • Insulin. Tests for substances that increase your cardiovascular risk • • Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Your gut...

Regular blood testing is one of the most important ways to keep track of your overall physical well-being. Getting tested at routine intervals can allow you to see the way your body changes over time and empower you to make informed decisions about your health. What does a blood test show? Some blood tests can help your doctor determine how different organs in your body are working. Examples of organs whose malfunctions can be visible in a blood test Your doctor can also use blood tests to search for markers of diseases and health conditions such as: • diabetes • HIV • anemia • cancer • coronary heart disease Even if a person does not have heart disease, a blood test can show whether they may be at risk of developing the condition. Other blood tests can indicate whether the medications you’re taking are working properly, or assess how well your blood is clotting. Let’s take a closer look at some common blood tests. 1. Complete blood count A routine complete blood count (CBC) checks for levels of 10 different components of every major cell in your blood: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Important components this test measures include red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Here’s the Component Normal range red blood cells (cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body) male: 4.3–5.9 million/mm 3; female: 3.5–5.5 million/mm 3 white blood cells (immune system cells in the blood) 4,500–11,000/mm 3 platelets (the substances that control t...

How's your coronary artery calcium? What's that, you ask? Like the more familiar tests used to assess your risk of future heart problems—cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, for example—coronary artery calcium (CAC) testing helps reveal your risk of heart disease, often before other warning signs appear. Also known as a calcium score, it's one of the newer—and more accurate—assessment tools being used. "A coronary calcium scan isn't for everyone, but it's the finest way for those who are uncertain about their heart disease risk to make better decisions about treatment and medications," says What does a coronary calcium scan do? The scan provides images of your coronaryarteriesthat show existing calcium deposits. Called calcifications, these deposits are an early sign of coronary artery disease. How does the coronary calcium scan work? Pictures of your heart are taken while you lie in a scanner for about 10 minutes. This simple and painless procedure is called a computed tomography (CT) scan. A score of zero has been shown to indicate that you have a very low risk of having a heart attack within the next 10 years. Using data from almost 7,000 subjects, Johns Hopkins researchers compared two approaches to calculating heart risk. One way used only the traditional risk factors, like smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. The other included the coronary calcium scan score. Results reported in 2013 in European Heart Journalshowed that by looking at the ...

Certain elements in your blood, like your cholesterol, triglycerides, or fibrinogen, are like a window to your heart health. Using blood tests to understand your risk of coronary artery disease is a proactive approach to a healthier heart. Work with your healthcare provider to understand your results and determine the best next steps. Overview How are blood tests used to determine the risk of heart disease? Your healthcare provider may order blood and urine lab tests to determine your risk of heart and blood vessel disease. Certain results, like high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), indicate a higher risk of heart disease. The test results and your health history help your healthcare team create the best care plan for you. When would I need blood tests to determine heart disease risk? Your healthcare provider may recommend • Eat an unhealthy diet. • Have a family history of CAD (especially getting diagnosed at age 50 or younger). • Have obesity or excess weight. • Don’t get enough physical activity. • • Have other comorbidities or conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, prior heart attack or stroke. Who performs the blood tests? A healthcare professional called a What parts of the blood do the tests measure to find heart disease risk? When detecting heart disease risk, healthcare providers pay close attention to: • Total cholesterol (TC): Your total cholesterol is directly linked to your heart and • Triglycerides (TG): • High-density lipoprotein (HDL): Th...

If you've had a heart attack, you may have already had certain procedures to help you survive your heart attack and diagnose your condition. For example, many heart attack patients have undergone thrombolysis, a procedure that involves injecting a clot-dissolving agent to restore blood flow in a coronary artery.This procedure is administered within a few (usually three) hours of a heart attack. If this treatment isn't done immediately after a heart attack, many patients will need to undergo coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) later to improve blood supply to the heart muscle. (link opens in new window) . See Heart Procedures and Surgeries Angioplasty Also known as Percutaneous Coronary Interventions [PCI], Balloon Angioplasty and Coronary Artery Balloon Dilation. What the Procedure Does Special tubing with an attached deflated balloon is threaded up to the coronary arteries. The balloon is inflated to widen blocked areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cutoff. Often combined with implantation of a stent (see below)to help prop the artery open and decrease the chance of another blockage. Considered less invasive because the body is not cut open. Lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. May require an overnight hospital stay. Reason for the Procedure • Greatly increases blood flow through the blocked artery. • Decreases • Increases ability for physical activity that has been limited by angina or ischemia. • Can also be ...

If you've had a heart attack, you may have already had certain procedures to help you survive your heart attack and diagnose your condition. For example, many heart attack patients have undergone thrombolysis, a procedure that involves injecting a clot-dissolving agent to restore blood flow in a coronary artery.This procedure is administered within a few (usually three) hours of a heart attack. If this treatment isn't done immediately after a heart attack, many patients will need to undergo coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) later to improve blood supply to the heart muscle. (link opens in new window) . See Heart Procedures and Surgeries Angioplasty Also known as Percutaneous Coronary Interventions [PCI], Balloon Angioplasty and Coronary Artery Balloon Dilation. What the Procedure Does Special tubing with an attached deflated balloon is threaded up to the coronary arteries. The balloon is inflated to widen blocked areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cutoff. Often combined with implantation of a stent (see below)to help prop the artery open and decrease the chance of another blockage. Considered less invasive because the body is not cut open. Lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. May require an overnight hospital stay. Reason for the Procedure • Greatly increases blood flow through the blocked artery. • Decreases • Increases ability for physical activity that has been limited by angina or ischemia. • Can also be ...

Cardiac blood tests can give your provider insight into how well your heart is functioning. Combining this information with your medical history and your family history can help your provider determine your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some tests, like the ones that measure cholesterol, are common. Others are not as well-known. Overview What are cardiac blood tests? Cardiac blood tests help your healthcare provider determine your risk of getting heart and blood vessel diseases. Your provider will consider your test results and look at your There are a number of different Cholesterol-related tests • Total • • High-density lipoprotein (HDL or the “good” cholesterol), which eliminates bad cholesterol. • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or the “bad” cholesterol), which can build up in arteries. Protein-related tests • Lipoprotein (a), an additional lipoprotein that is present in some people and increased heart risk. • Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a protein that is included in bad cholesterol. • Fibrinogen, a protein in your blood that helps it clot. • Aminoterminal, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a protein your heart makes which is increased in heart failure. Indicators of inflammation, which may play a role in forming plaque • Ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP). • MPO (myeloperoxidase). Tests for diabetes, a disease that can harm blood vessels • • • Insulin. Tests for substances that increase your cardiovascular risk • • Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Your gut...