The first step in excellent patient care is determining the cause of a patient’s condition. OSU Medical Center is a national leader in many forms of heart and vascular disease diagnosis. For assistance locating a service or physician, call (614) 293-5123 or toll-free (800) 293-5123.
Here is a sampling of OSU Medical Center diagnostic tests related to cardiovascular disease:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) – One of the most common diagnostic procedures is an ECG, which creates a picture of the electrical impulses traveling through the heart muscle. These impulses are gathered from sensors placed on the body. Portable ECG monitoring can be conducted while the patient is at work or home in order to better understand heart function during the patient’s typical daily routine. Information is either stored for later retrieval or can be sent via phone to the OSU cardiologist.
- Stress test – When patients are monitored during exercise or when the heart rate is increased with medication, the procedure is called a stress test. This test gives a picture of how the heart performs when the patient is active.
- Echocardiogram – This is an ultrasound (using sound waves) test to create an image of the heart. A gel is placed on the chest to help conduct the sound waves. A wand rolled over the gel creates an image from sound waves that bounce (echo) off the heart (somewhat like a police officer determining your car’s speed using radar). Several more sophisticated versions of the echocardiogram are the M-Mode which measures the size of the heart and thickness of its walls; Doppler which is used to measure blood flow through the heart; and Color Doppler which offers an enhanced blood flow view.
- Catheter procedures – By threading a tiny, flexible tube through a blood vessel to the heart, cardiologists can check the health of the vessels and heart. Depending on the patient’s symptoms, cardiologists may check for blockages or map the electrical activity of the heart. Coronary (heart) angiography (vessel study) can provide an image of the interior of the heart and blood pressure within the heart’s chambers. Intravascular ultrasound is an echocardiogram from inside the heart. A heart biopsy, a sample of heart tissue, can also be taken using a catheter.
- Tilt tests – If a patient is thought to have experienced syncope (heart-related fainting spells), the patient may be tested using a tilt table. By placing a patient on a table that tilts to 60 degrees, the physician can examine the patient to determine if the fainting was heart related and if medication or other therapy might be beneficial.
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging (CMR) – CMR offers high-resolution images of a beating heart and blood vessels from any angle without radiation and without interference from surrounding tissue. CMR can measure blood flow and provide information about the heart’s condition.
- Nuclear tests – These tests use trace amounts of radioactive (nuclear) materials injected into the blood stream as tracers. The tracers, or tags, give a reference point to measure blood flow. The MUGA (Multiple Gated Acquisition) test is a common nuclear diagnostic which measures how much blood is pumped with each heart contraction and how much is ejected from the heart’s lower chamber.
- Cardiovascular computed tomography (CT) – CT scans provide cross-sectional X-ray images (taken in synchronization with heartbeats to eliminate blurring) to create three-dimensional blood vessel images for assessment of vessel health, including deposits within the vessel, bypass grafts and stents (devices placed in vessels to keep them open).
