|
|
In order for a patient to receive the very best health care, the correct diagnosis needs to be made right from the start. The diagnostic services offered at the Arizona Heart Institute are the most up-to-date cardiovascular tests in the world. These tests enable your health-care team to assess the health of your heart and blood vessels using the most accurate tools available.
The Arizona Heart Institute performs nearly all diagnostic tests on an outpatient basis, so you can come in for your test and return to the comfort of your home the same day (main location). Patients with acute conditions and those who require an invasive procedure (such as angiography) are cared for at the Arizona Heart Hospital.
We provide the following diagnostic tests on an outpatient basis:
Chemical analyses of body fluids (blood and urine) are conducted to examine these fluids for blood cell counts, levels of components such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and proteins, blood lipids (such as cholesterol, lipoproteins, and triglycerides), and blood sugar. Available tests include:
- Urinalysis
- Complete blood count
- Electrolyte studies
- Automated chemistry profile (ACP)
Electrocardiography is a test which examines the electrical activity of your heart and can provide information on the way your heart beats as a means of diagnosing some heart problems, such as heart rhythm abnormalities. The following electrocardiographic studies are available:
- ECG
- Treadmill stress test
- Signal-averaged ECG
- Holter monitoring/scanning
- Event monitoring
Angiography: The insertion of a catheter into your heart used along with X-rays and a special dye to visualize the internal anatomy of your heart and blood vessels. Angiography is most frequently used to determine the presence of blocked or narrowed arteries. This test is performed at the Arizona Heart Hospital
(liver/spleen/brain/bone/kidney/lung/gallbladder)
- Peripheral vascular and ankle/arm indices: examination of the blood flow in your arms and legs
- Upper extremity Doppler: the use of Doppler ultrasound to examine blood flow in your arms
- Blood flow studies - for tissue perfusion: the assessment of blood flow in tissues of the legs
Radiological tests and nuclear medicine studies are conducted to visualize heart function. The following tests are available:
- Cardiolite and thallium imaging: a radioactive element such as thallium is injected and the amount of radioactivity taken up by heart muscle during exercise is determined as a means of assessing blood supply to the heart
- Persantine and dobutamine (for patients who cannot exercise): a test similar to thallium imaging, except that persantine or dobutamine is administered to stimulate the effects of exercise on blood flow in patients who cannot exercise
- Gated wall motion and thickening studies: radiological tests used to assess the thickness of the heart walls and the way they move
- Ejection fraction and volumes: evaluation of the amount of blood ejected during each contraction of the left ventricle of the heart, as well as assessment of the volume of blood flowing through the heart; used to assess heart function
- Cardiac MUGA (multiple gated acquisition): an imaging technology that precisely examines the function of the beating heart
Ultrasound is an imaging technique that relies on sound waves to produces pictures of internal anatomy and function. In cardiovascular studies, echocardiography is a test that employs sound waves to study the structure and motion of the heart and blood vessels. It is especially useful for assessing the function of the heart valves. The following ultrasound-based tests are available at the Arizona Heart Institute:
- Two-dimensional echocardiogram, with color flow Doppler
- Stress echocardiogram
- Carotid and upper extremity ultrasound
- Peripheral imaging (arterial/venous)
- Abdominal aortic ultrasound
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
- Renal (kidney) ultrasound
The following procedures are performed to examine the lungs and chest cavity:
- Lung biopsy/resection
- Mediastinoscopy
- Thoracoscopy