A one-on-one cardiac consultation is the perfect opportunity for patients to speak with one of our doctors about any cardiac concerns or questions regarding upcoming surgery. It’s a safe and comfortable setting to ask questions and to fully discuss the details of any preoperative preparations you may be unclear about.
During your cardiac consultation, the doctor will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination. If necessary, the doctor may perform diagnostic tests to judge your heart condition and evaluate your overall health prior to treatment.
Our doctors also suggest effective preventative techniques to help keep your heart as healthy as possible, including starting an exercise or weight loss program, eating healthy, and reducing cholesterol. Your doctor can answer any questions or concerns you have regarding your heart, including:
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Arrhythmias
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Hypertension
- Heart Failure
- Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
Regardless of how you found us, whether it was through a referral from a friend or your primary care provider, or through our website, it’s always important to schedule a consultation to meet and speak with the cardiologist. Call to schedule an appointment and find out more about any of our procedures and tests, such as:
- Regular Stress Test
- EKG
- Nuclear Stress Test
- Services – Regular Stress Test
- Persantine Stress Test
- 2D Echo
- Carotid Doppler Study
- Lower Extremity Arterial Duplex Scan
- ABI
- Renal Artery Scab
- Holter Monitor
A stress test is performed to determine the amount of stress the patient’s heart can handle during exercise or physical exertion. The stress test checks for an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and to make sure enough blood is flowing to the heart muscle. These tests are used to determine the likelihood of having or developing coronary heart disease.
The doctor may also require this test for patients who have already been diagnosed with a heart condition in order to develop a personalized treatment plan. For patients with a heart condition and who have been prescribed medications to control angina and ischemia, the stress test is used to check the effectiveness of those medications. For patients who have had heart procedures performed, this test evaluates the improvement of blood flow within the heart vessels.
In some cases, stress tests are used to determine if cardiac surgery, such as valve replacement, should be performed. And with patients with heart failure, a stress test may help the doctor assess the need for surgery or advanced treatments.
The doctor or trained technician will hook up sticky patches, called electrodes, on the patient’s chest, legs and arms. Wires are used to connect the patches to an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) machine. The ECG tracks the electrical signals that trigger the patient’s heartbeats. A blood pressure cuff is placed on the patient’s arm to check blood pressure during the stress test.
The patient is required to walk on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike and asked to increase their level of activity during the test in order to monitor their heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing patterns. The patient is monitored to see what type of exercise level they can handle without developing chest pain or changes in the ECG which may reveal the possibility of a heart problem.
Because the exercise makes the heart pump harder and faster than normal, it may uncover heart problems that might otherwise go undetected.
Patients should were comfortable clothing that would be worn to a gym and athletic shoes or sneakers. A typical exercise stress test lasts about 15 minutes. The patient can request to stop the test any time if they become too uncomfortable to continue exercising.
