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Healthcare Services Coronary Heart Disease Evaluation & Diagnosis

Evaluation & Diagnosis

Tools that can be used to detect coronary artery disease include electrocardiogram, cardiac catheterization and diagnostic angiography.

  • Electrocardiographic techniques
    An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is used to detect an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which may be caused by coronary artery disease. It records the relative timing of atrial and ventricular electrical events. It can be used to measure how long it takes for impulses to travel through the atria (the heart's upper chambers), conduction system and ventricles (the heart's two lower pumping chambers). Often, though, because of the fleeting nature of arrhythmias, someone who complains of symptoms that suggest arrhythmia has an ECG that appears normal. Electrocardiographic techniques are passive, in other words, they require an arrhythmia to occur spontaneously.

    Small patches or stickers called electrodes are placed on different parts of the body. One is put on each arm and leg and several across the chest. They don't hurt. With various combinations of these electrodes, different tracings of the heart's electrical activity can be made and permanently recorded on paper or in a computer.

  • Cardiac catheterization
    This test measures the blood pressure in your heart and how much oxygen is in your blood. It is also used to get information about the pumping ability of the heart muscle. During the procedure, a slender, flexible tube is inserted into the groin area and directed to the heart. Once the catheter is in place, contrast material is injected and pictures are taken, allowing the physician to see images of the inside of the heart.

  • Diagnostic angiography
    Diagnostic angiography helps quantify the degree of blockage in a blood vessel. It is often performed in conjunction with cardiac catheterization.

What to expect during cardiac catheterization or diagnostic angiography

Before the procedure, you will be given a mild sedative and a local anesthetic. An IV line is inserted into one of the blood vessels in your arm or groin. A catheter is then inserted through the IV and into the blood vessel. The catheter is carefully threaded into the heart guided by an X-ray machine. Once the catheter is in place, contrast material is injected and pictures are taken, allowing doctors to see if the arteries are narrowed or blocked.

It is recommended that patients rest the first day after the procedure. By the third day, most normal activities can be resumed as long as there are no complications. A personal discharge plan will be given to you before you leave.

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