Cardiodiagnostic Testing

Stress Tests

The most widely used test for the detection of CAD is the treadmill or stress EKG, during which a patient is exercised to reach a predicted heart rate. The EKG tracing, which is continually running, is then evaluated for changes. These changes can be in the shape of the complexes (a lack of oxygen to the heart can cause depression of cardiac complexes), changes in rhythm (a non-regular rhythm can indicate serious underlying disease), and also the duration of time a person can complete on a treadmill.

Nuclear stress testing is more exact in its measurement and location of heart dysfunction. Individual wall motion and the contraction of the largest, most powerful heart chamber (the left ventricle) can be evaluated simultaneously. A radionuclide agent is used to sharpen the images obtained. The information can be used to determine risks associated with heart muscle dysfunction.

At Florida Hospital Waterman, our stress tests are performed by skilled advanced life support nurses and cardiologists with the finest equipment and technology available.

Echocardiogram

Imagine a test that isn't invasive, causes no pain, only takes a minute or two to perform and produces an instantaneous, three dimensional picture of a beating heart that can be manipulated so a doctor can see the organ from any angle — almost as if he were holding the patient's heart in his hands.

Sound like futuristic science fiction?  It's not. Instead, it's a new advance in echocardiography in use now at Florida Hospital Waterman. The echocardiography laboratory at FHW is the first in Central Florida to offer 3D TEE ultrasounds of the heart.

Echocardiography, which uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart, is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease. Without exposing patients to radiation, echocardiograms provide detailed images that can provide a wealth of helpful information — including the size and shape of the heart, its pumping strength, and the location and extent of any damage to its tissues. The new 3D technology can help doctors make better diagnostic decisions because they can view the data from any angle and see views not obtainable from conventional two dimensional echo.