Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing

Find a hospital that provides Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing

Intermountain Healthcare utilizes an integrated system approach to deliver the best patient care, consistently and at the lowest appropriate cost. We are able to use the expertise from our hospitals, clinics, and health plan to ensure excellent and consistent care no matter which Intermountain facility you visit.

• Find a hospital that provides Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing

Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing

• Blood electrolytes. Checking levels of certain electrolytes (such as calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium) can help determine the cause of a heart problem or assist in treating it.
• Blood cell count. This blood test can help determine the presence of an infection or your body’s ability to fight infections. It also shows your body’s ability to carry oxygen to vital organs such as the heart.
• Cardiac marker analysis. Damaged heart muscle cells release certain biochemicals, called cardiac markers. Checking for these can help determine whether or not you have recently suffered (or are suffering) a heart attack.
• Blood coagulation tests. Anticoagulants (sometimes called “blood thinners”) are drugs that cause your blood to take longer to clot. If you’re taking an anticoagulant (such as Coumadin), your provider will order regular blood tests to make sure your blood is clotting at the right level.
• Glucose test. A glucose test can help your provider check for diabetes and whether it’s in good control.
• Lipid tests. These tests check the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and other fatty substances in your blood.
• hs-CRP. Your healthcare provider may order a high-sensitivity CRP test (hs-CRP) to measure the level of C-reactive protein in your blood. High levels of this protein can increased risk for heart disease.
• Homocysteine. Measuring homocysteine, a normal byproduct of the breakdown of protein in food, can help assess your risk for blood clots and atherosclerosis (clogged arteries).

Chest X-rays
In cardiac care, x-ray images of the chest help check for certain heart and lung problems. For example, an x-ray can reveal heart enlargement or lung congestion. Healthcare providers also use chest x-rays to check for complications after heart surgery or assess the heart’s response to medication.

Echocardiography
An echocardiogram (“echo” for short) is a cardiac ultrasound, and helps assess the condition of your heart. It uses a device called a transducer to transmit high-frequency sound waves through the body. As the waves bounce (or “echo”) off structures in the body, they are shown on a monitor.

In a standard echocardiogram, a technician moves the transducer across your torso. The echo can show the heart walls and valves, and the emptying and filling of the heart chambers. These views can help determine whether there are any structural problems with your heart. An echo can also help measure your ejection fraction (EF), which is the amount of blood your heart pumps out with each beat.

In a Cardiac Doppler test, the ultrasound waves bounce off red blood cells moving within the heart chambers. This reveals the speed and direction of blood flow within the heart, and helps determine how well the heart valves are working.

Electrocardiograms (EKG, ECG)
An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG for short) records the electrical activity of your heart. An EKG provides information about your heart’s rate and rhythm, and diagnoses a variety of heart conditions. To perform an EKG, sensing electrodes are placed on the skin of your chest, arms, and legs. The electrodes are small adhesive patches with wires that connect to a monitor. The monitor captures and displays your heart’s electrical activity. The number of electrodes worn during an EKG depends on the kind of information healthcare providers want to capture. 

Lung and Oxygen Tests
Lung problems may cause heart symptoms, and vice versa. The following tests are used to check for problems with the lungs and heart:

• Pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry measures how well oxygen is being delivered throughout the body. A small clip is attached to a finger. The clip shines an infrared light through the skin and registers the amount of oxygen in the tissues. This amount is measured as a percentage. If the oxygen level is consistently below 90%, extra oxygen may be needed to prevent damage to the heart and other tissues.
• Pulmonary function testing (PFT). Pulmonary function testing is a general term for tests that help determine how well the lungs and airways are working. These tests require you to breathe into a machine. One common test, spirometry, measures how much air you can breathe out, and how fast.

Medical History & Physical Exam
A medical history and a physical examination are important first steps for diagnosis. They may allow your healthcare provider to confirm or rule out a heart problem right away. They can also help determine which additional tests you should have.

• Medical history. Your healthcare provider first reviews your medical chart and any previous health problems with you. They can then ask you more specifically about your current symptoms, family history, and lifestyle.
• Physical examination. A basic physical examination usually follows the medical history and provides more clues to your condition. During a physical examination, your healthcare provider will check vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure. They’ll also check for lung congestion, swelling in your arms or legs, or any areas of tenderness on your body.

Nuclear Cardiac Perfusion Imaging
Nuclear imaging tests can help detect heart damage and assess heart function. These tests begin with an injection of radioactive chemicals (radionuclides) into the bloodstream through an IV. The radionuclides act as tracers, which are detected by special machines to produce a picture (nuclear scan) of the heart. Tracers are absorbed by healthy tissue at a different rate than by diseased or damaged tissue. On a nuclear scan, areas of the heart muscle not receiving a good blood supply may appear as “cold spots” on the nuclear scan.

A MUGA scan (multi-gated acquisition scan), also called a nuclear ventriculogram, is a type of nuclear imaging that assesses the function of the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. Coupled with an EKG and timed with your heartbeat, a MUGA scan provides images from several hundred cycles of blood through the heart. It can be used to measure your ejection fraction, which is the amount of blood pumped out by your heart every beat. Measuring ejection fraction helps your  healthcare providers assess how well your heart is able to do its job.

Peripheral Angiography
A peripheral angiogram, an x-ray performed in the cardiac cath lab, is used to detect narrowing or blockages in the peripheral arteries (the arteries in your legs). During an angiogram, an x-ray contrast solution is injected into one or more arteries. X-rays then capture images of blood flow through the arteries.

Peripheral Vascular Studies
If you have coronary artery disease, you may also be at risk for problems with arteries in other parts of your body. Narrowing, blockage, or blood clots can happen in the arteries leading to your brain (causing stroke), your kidneys, and your arms and legs.

To diagnose or evaluate these and related problems, your healthcare provider may send you to a peripheral vascular lab, where technicians perform ultrasound studies of arteries and veins throughout your body. This safe and painless test uses sound waves to search for plaque or narrowing in the arteries and estimate the amount of blockage. Four general types of vascular studies can be performed:

• Peripheral: Searches for blockage or narrowing in the arteries in your arms and legs.
• Carotid. Assesses blockage or narrowing of the carotid arteries of the neck.
• Abdominal. Assesses blood flow in the aorta (a main artery extending down from the heart), and in the arteries that lead to the kidneys, the intestines, and the liver.
• TCD (Trans-cranial Doppler) ultrasound. Examines the blood flow within the brain.

Stress Testing
A stress test is a practical way to assess the heart’s capacity for work - and to identify coronary artery disease or the need for further tests or treatments. A stress test involves causing heart stress and then monitoring the heart’s reaction. Before, during, and after a stress test, healthcare providers monitor your vital signs and your EKG. Stress can be caused in two ways:

• Exercise. An exercise stress test examines your heart function under the stress of exercise. It requires you to walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle.
• Medication. If you can’t exercise at a level that stresses your heart - because of arthritis or some other problem - a medication can be used to stimulate your heart.

Intermountain Healthcare resources on heart and vascular diagnostic and treatment procedures

• Heart Care Handbook Chapter 4 - Diagnostic Tests
• Heart Care Handbook Chapter 5 - Treatment Procedures