Cardiac Diagnostic Testing
 

Diagnosing a condition related to your heart’s health can involve certain types of testing as directed by your physician.

Maury Regional Health offers comprehensive cardiac diagnostic testing in our hospitals and imaging centers. Our heart testing services include those listed here.

Calcium CT Scoring

This non-invasive imaging exam can help your physician determine if arteries leading to the heart may be blocked or narrowing. The exam is performed by an imaging technologist in one of our imaging departments with results interpreted by a radiologist and reported to your doctor.

Calcium CT scoring is available in the Outpatient Imaging Center at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia. Learn more about other types of CT imaging available in our facilities here.

Cardiac Catheterizations

Heart catheterizations can examine whether arteries are narrowing or blocked and whether intervention is needed. Interventional cardiologists have expertise to treat heart conditions and perform interventional procedures – such as angioplasty and stenting – when necessary to prevent heart attacks or opened blocked vessels.

The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia allows interventional cardiologists to perform numerous procedures to investigate heart conditions with accuracy. Patients may be transferred from another hospital or emergency facility in the region for treatment in the Cath Lab.

Carotid Ultrasound

An ultrasound can help to reveal if the carotid arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain and head may be narrowing or blocked, which can be an indicator of a risk for stroke. This painless exam involves an ultrasound wand being moved over the neck area to produce images that show how blood is flowing through the vessels. This test may be performed on one or both sides or your neck. Your physician will receive the results and determine if treatment may be necessary to prevent stroke.

Ultrasounds are performed at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Lewis Health Center in Hohenwald, Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg and Wayne Medical Center in Waynesboro.

Echocardiogram

This ultrasound procedure enables technologists to view the structures of the heart in order to evaluate possible abnormalities. This exam is performed by an ultrasonographer with results interpreted by a cardiologist and reported to your provider.

Echocardiograms are performed at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg and Wayne Medical Center in Waynesboro.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An ECG records the heart’s electrical activity and outlines any abnormal rhythms that may be present. During this exam, small electrodes are placed on the chest, arms and legs. These electrodes transmit a signal to the ECG machine, recording and graphing the electrical activity. The physician may use the ECG tracing to determine if there are any abnormalities with the heart’s rate, rhythm or strength.

ECGs are performed at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Lewis Health Center in Hohenwald, Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg and Wayne Medical Center in Waynesboro.

Electrophysiology Study

This procedure is used to assess the heart’s electrical activity and can help diagnose issues such as an abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmia. Performed in our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, an electrophysiology study involves an IV placed into a vein along with electrodes that connect to monitors and a blood pressure cuff to monitor your blood pressure during the procedure. Some patients are given medicine to make them sleepy. Thin wires or catheters inserted into a vein (often in the groin area) are carefully guided to the heart area by the cardiologist. During the procedure, the heart’s rhythm is evaluated and tested to determine if the rhythm is abnormal and if so, what is causing the condition. Physicians can use this time to perform ablation if necessary to remove tissue that may be causing rhythm to be abnormal.

Results of the electrophysiology study will be evaluated to determine what treatment may be needed to regulate the heart’s rhythm, such as medication, a pacemaker or defibrillator or other treatment.

Event Monitor

An event monitor is a portable device that can be worn up to 30 days to record the heart’s electrical activity.  The primary purpose of an event monitor is to record the heart rate and rhythm during an “event” or abnormality known as an arrhythmia. This type of monitor does not record continuously.  Because abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac symptoms may be intermittent and come and go, an event monitor will automatically start recording when an abnormality occurs. 

The patient will be educated about proper monitor placement and use.  Once the designated time frame is complete, the monitor is returned to the monitoring company and a report is generated for the cardiologist to review and forward to the ordering provider.

Holter Monitor

In order to assess your heart rhythm over a period of 24-48 hours, a physician may recommend that you wear a Holter monitor. This monitor records the heart’s electrical activity over time, allowing your physician to detect any rhythm changes that might occur during the designated time frame.  

A technician will place electrodes on the chest area and connect to the monitor. The monitor should be worn at all times including during sleep. Once the monitoring period is complete, the monitor is returned and the data is uploaded to a special computer program.  A preliminary report will be generated and read by a cardiologist. The final report is forwarded to the ordering provider.

Holter monitor services are available at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg and Wayne Medical Center in Waynesboro.

Nuclear Stress Test

By stimulating how well your heart functions under stress, a cardiologist can determine if you have poor blood flow or damage to the heart and what treatment may be needed.  A nuclear stress test uses a small amount of radioactive material and an imaging machine to take pictures showing the blood flow to the heart. The test will measure blood flow prior to (resting pictures) and after (stress pictures) activity that can detect areas with poor blood flow.  Depending on the patient’s level of activity, this may be accomplished by either walking on a treadmill or by administering medication.  The type of medication utilized is determined by each patient’s individual medical history.

Nuclear stress tests are performed at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia and Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg.

Treadmill Stress Test

This test is used to determine how well one’s heart functions or responds during stress. During this test, you will be asked to walk on a treadmill while you are connected to an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine to monitor your heart rate and rhythm.

Routine treadmill stress tests are performed at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia and Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg.

speak to your doctor

Ask your primary care provider or specialist about cardiac diagnostic testing that may be needed to monitor your heart's health.