Patients suffering from heart disease and those who suspect heart disease are often subject to several tests. Find out what you can expect when one of these non-invasive tests for your heart is coming up.
This article forms part of a blog series that aims to bring attention to your heart health throughout the American Heart Association’s #HeartMonth national. Did you miss the other articles? Take a look at 5 Eating Tips to Maintain a Healthy Heart, How to Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home, How to Determine If You’re Suffering from a Heart Attack, and how to keep your heart healthy through the Mediterranean Diet.
MRIs. CT scans. ECGs. There are many tests you can encounter when visiting your doctor; however, what exactly are these tests? And why should you take them?
If you’re experiencing heart problems or suspect you have an issue with your heart, your doctor might recommend various tests. What’s the purpose behind them, and what can you expect? Michigan Medicine cardiologist Venkatesh Murthy, M.D., offers a list of tests that your doctor might require, and what they’re made to do.
1. Echocardiogram: Make use of sound waves to create photographs of your heart. This test is a common one that will allow your doctor to observe the rate at which your heart beats and the flow of blood within your heart. Images of an echocardiogram can be utilized to determine the presence of various abnormalities within the heart muscle and valves.
The test can be performed when you’re not in a state of rest, or during exercise to increase the heart rate (see the stress test for exercise below).
Test Reasons:
- Find out the reason for the heart murmur
- Examine the heart valves
- Examine the function that is overall for the heart.
2. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE): uses high-frequency sound (ultrasound) to produce clear images of your heart as well as the arteries that flow to it and exit from it. The echo transducer, which produces the sound waves that are used for TEE, is connected to a small tube that runs through your mouth, through your throat, down the back of your throat, and into your esophagus. This is, ie, proximity to the chambers of your stomach, your heart.
The reasons for the test:
- Review the purpose of the heart valves
- Be aware of heart valve diseases
- Check for blood clots in the heart
3. The Electrocardiogram (ECG, also known as EKG) measures how much electrical energy is generated by your heartbeat, providing two types of data. In the first, by recording time intervals in the ECG, a physician can determine the length of time that the electrical signal is taking to travel through your heart.
Knowing how long an electrical wave is required for it to move from one area of the heart to another shows whether your electrical activities are normal, slow, rapid, or in a different way.
In the second, by measuring the level of electrical activity that passes through the heart’s muscle tissue, a cardiologist might be able to determine whether the heart’s parts are enlarged or overworked.
The reasons for the test:
- Monitor changes in heart rhythm
- Find out if an attack on the heart has occurred.
- It can be used to determine the possibility of a heart attack in the process of
4. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): uses an electric field and radiofrequency waves to generate precise images of organs and structures in your body. It is used to look at your blood vessels and the heart, as well as to determine regions of your brain that are affected by stroke.
The reasons for the test:
- Examine the heart’s structure
- Review the purpose of the heart valves
5. A CT scan is an X-ray imaging procedure that makes use of computers to produce a cross-sectional image that shows your heart. Also known as cardiac computed tomography, computerized axial tomography, or the CAT scan. It could be used to evaluate the heart and blood vessels to identify any issues. It can also be used to determine whether blood vessels within your brain are damaged through a stroke.
The reasons for the test:
- Check the structure of your heart.
- Check for blockages in the coronary arteries.
6. Stress test of the exercise heart: Also known as the exercise tolerance test (ETT). This test will determine if the heart’s blood supply is adequate and if your heart rate is normal when exercising on the stationary bicycle or treadmill.
The test measures your fatigue level and breathing rate, heart rate, heart rate and blood pressure during exercise. The test can be performed together with echocardiography or nuclear imaging.
The reasons for the test:
- Find out what is causing chest discomfort, breathlessness, and a feeling of weakness
- Examine the health of the heart
7. Pharmacologic stress test: A medication is administered through an IV line inside your arm, causing dilation of the arteries, which boosts the rate of your heart and the flow of blood, which is similar to the effects of exercising. The test is performed using echocardiography, nuclear imaging, or MRI.
The reasons for the test:
- Find out the root of chest discomfort, breathlessness, and a feeling of weakness
- Look for evidence of a lack of supply of oxygen to your heart when you exercise.
- Check for or diagnose obstructions in the coronary arteries.
- Examine the risk of a heart attack.
8. Tilt test: It is often used to identify the reason you feel lightheaded or faint. The test requires you to lie on a table that is gradually tilted upwards. The test will determine the way your heart rate and blood pressure react to gravity’s force. A technician or nurse monitors the heart rate and blood pressure (pulse) to observe how they fluctuate in the course of testing.
The reasons for the test:
- Check for fainting or dizziness
- Recognize heartbeat changes
9. Tests for monitoring the heartbeat: in ambulatory settings, Holter monitoring, event recorders, and mobile cardiac Telemetry (MCT) are tests performed to analyze your heart’s rhythm over a long period of time, on an off-site basis.
Reasons for the test:
- Check for signs of heart rhythm disorders that change and are not evident in a normal ECG
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10. Coronary angiogram: A kind of X-ray utilized to study the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen to the heart. A catheter is placed into the blood vessel of the groin or arm, and then fed to your coronary arteries as well as your heart. The dye is delivered through the catheter, and photographs are captured.
Tests’ reasons:
- Verify the presence of narrowing or blockages within the coronary arteries.
- Assess the pressure inside your heart.
