In order for a patient to receive the very best care, the correct diagnosis needs to be made right from the start. The diagnostic services offered in the offices of the Northern Arizona Heart Consultants are the most up-to-date cardiovascular tests in the field.

• Electrocardiography
• Holter Monitor
• Event Monitor
• Echocardiography
• Carotid Ultrasound
• Exercise Stress Testing
• Nuclear Imaging Stress Testing
• EECP

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY (ECG)

An ECG is a test that 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.

Patient Instructions: There are no special instructions for this test.

HOLTER MONITOR

A Holter Monitor is a portable electrocardiogram that monitors the electrical activity of an ambulatory patient over a 24 hours period (It may be worn for up to 5 days straight). It is most often used to evaluate symptoms of syncope, shortness of breath or palpitations.

Patient Instructions: Do not wear a pullover shirt or apply skin lotion on the day of device hook-up. Additional instructions and consent form.

EVENT MONITOR

A cardiac Event Monitor is similar to a Holter Monitor, but can record the heart activity over a thirty-day period. This monitor is small in size and can be easily carried in a purse, pocket, or worn like a beeper. When symptoms occur, the patient activates the monitor by pushing a button to make a brief recording of the heart's activity at that instant.

Patient Instructions: Do not wear a pullover shirt or apply skin lotion on the day of device hook-up.

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

An echocardiogram provides a detailed analysis of the structure and function of the heart by means of painless, noninvasive sound waves. The information provided includes: size and thickness of the walls of the heart, the strength of the heart muscle as a pump, congenital anomalies and detailed assessment of the heart valves for narrowing or leakage.

Patient Instructions: There are no special instructions for this test.

CAROTID ULTRASONOGRAPHY

A carotid ultrasound uses sound waves to obtain images of the two arteries located in the neck, one on each side. This test will allow the physician to determine if there is a blockage limiting the amount of blood flow to the brain and eyes.

Patient Instructions: There are no special instructions for this test.

EXERCISE STRESS TESTING

The patient is asked to walk on a treadmill during which time the electrical impulses in the heart are recorded. Patches with wires are applied to the chest and connected to an EKG monitor during the test.

Patient instructions and consent form.

NUCLEAR IMAGING STRESS TESTING

This test involves the IV injection of a small amount of a radioactive substance. A special camera is then used to take pictures of the heart at rest and after stress. The resulting images, along with a continuous ECG tracing, evaluate the flow of blood through the coronary arteries. It may then reveal any evidence of previous heart attacks or blockages in the coronary arteries. This test is frequently used to evaluate patients with chest pain, as well as after bypass surgery or angioplasty, to evaluate the condition of the bypass grafts or stents.

Patient instructions and patient consent form.

EECP THERAPY (Enhanced External Counterpulsation)

EECP therapy is an outpatient treatment for angina and heart failure. Treatments are usually given for an hour each day, five days a week, for a total of 35 hours.

During the treatment, you lie on a comfortable treatment table with large blood pressure-like cuffs wrapped around your legs and buttocks. These cuffs inflate and deflate at specific times between your heart beats. A continuous electrocardiogram is used to set the timing so the cuffs. The special sensor applied to your finger checks the oxygen level in your blood and monitors the pressure waves created by the cuff inflations and deflations.

Patient instructions