Test Your Heart Health

The Screening Tests
The possibilities are an EKG – a tracing of the heart’s electrical activity, which can show if someone has damage to the heart; an echocardiogram – an ultra- sound of the heart, which can show if it is contracting healthily; an exercise stress test – where a person exerts themselves while an EKG or echocardiogram monitors whether the heart is being strained; a coronary calcium test – a CT scan of the heart to look at the level of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries; a radionuclide stress test involves injecting a radioactive isotope into the patient’s vein after which an image of the patient’s heart becomes visible with a special camera. Images of the heart are obtained at rest and with exertion to see whether part of the heart is not contracting properly.

The Ultimate Test
A coronary angiogram is an invasive test involving radiation, so it is only used in patients at very high risk of coronary disease. A wire is threaded into the heart, dye is injected and images taken. This shows just how narrowed the coronary arteries are. If they are, then a balloon can be used to open the arteries and a stent placed to keep it open.

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