OFFICE PROCEDURES Carotid duplex is a procedure that uses ultrasound to look for plaques, blood clots, or other problems with blood flow in the carotid artery walls and lumen (interior). The carotid arteries, located in the neck, supply blood to the brain. Cholestrol Testing - A simple convienient finger stick blood test done in the office to determine the levels of good (HDL) & bad (LDL) cholestrol in the blood. Defibrillator Analysis & Reprogramming: The periodic check of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in the physician’s office to assess battery, events, and function usually done routinely every 3 months. Echocardiogram is a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than X-ray image and involves no radiation exposure. EKG - A test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. This includes the rate and regularity of beats as well as the size and position of the chambers, any damage to the heart, and effects of drugs or devices to regulate the heart. Event Monitor - A small recorder (monitor) is attached to electrodes on your chest. It is worn continuously for a period of time. If symptoms are felt, an event button can be depressed, and the heart's rhythm is recorded and saved in the recorder. The rhythm can be saved and transmitted over the phone line. Exercise stress test is a general screening tool to test the effect of exercise on your heart. The test gives a general sense of how healthy your heart is. Holter monitoring provides a continuous recording of heart rhythm during normal activity. The monitor is usually worn for 24 hours to obtain a recording of a complete day. Nuclear Exercise Stress Exam is a specific test which uses radioactive isotopes to test your heart's response to exercise on a treadmill as well as the amount of blood flow to your heart muscle at rest and at exercise. A drug-administered nuclear exam is used if a patient cannot exercise on a treadmill due to physical limitations. In this case, medicaton is given to simulate exercise without physical exertion. Pacemaker Analysis and Reprogramming: The periodic check of an implantable pacemaker in the physician’s office to assess battery, events, and function usually done routinely every 6 months. Peripheral Vascular Ultrasound This test uses ultrasound to examine the blood flow in the major arteries and veins in the arms and legs. Prothrombin Time Test - This is a test that measures the clotting time of plasma (the liquid portion of the blood). Stress echocardiography is a test that helps diagnose heart disease with the help of ultrasound images. (A more routine exercise stress test does not use imaging.) Following exercise or other stress to the heart, the images reveal parts of the heart that may not be receiving enough blood or oxygen because of blocked arteries. HOSPITAL PROCEDURES AICD (Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) is a device implanted in the chest to restore the heart rhythm when the ventricle is out of control. Angioplasty is a medical procedure in which a balloon is used to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries). Atherectomy A procedure that uses a catheter and special cutting or grinding tools to remove plaque from artery walls. Cardiac catheterization involves passing a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the right or left side of the heart. In general, this procedure is performed to obtain diagnostic information about the heart or its blood vessels or to provide treatment in certain types of heart conditions. CRT (Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) is the implantation of a special pacemaker that paces both right and left ventricles simultaneously., therefore improving the cardiac function in heart failure patients. Cardioversion delivers an electrical shock to a person's heart to rapidly restore an abnormal heart rhythm back to normal. Coronary angiography is a procedure in which a contrast material that can be seen using X-ray equipment is injected into one of the arteries of the heart. This allows your health care provider to view the flow of blood through your heart. Coronary Stenting is when a wire mesh device, like scaffolding, is placed in the artery to prevent it from renarrowing after an angioplasty. PFO Closure is a procedure that closes a hole in the heart that might permit passage of small clots leading to strokes. The procedure is performed with a catheter without the need of open heart surgery. A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated electronic device which is inserted under the skin to help the heart beat regularly and at an appropriate rate. TEE A diagnostic procedure in which a transducer is passed down into the esophagus to a location behind the heart, where sound waves are sent and delivered to image the heart. Tilt Table Test - Used to diagnose patients with unexplained fainting spells or syncope. During the test, heart rate, blood pressure or other measurements can be made while the patient lies on a table which is tilted so he or she can be monitored in different positions from lying down to standing upright.