Diagnostic Test Information for Patients

Duration:

15 minutes

Clothing:

Hospital gown

Jewelry:

No

Food/Beverages:

OK

Alert Doctor:

Pregnancy

Capture your heart on film

A chest X-ray is one of the most commonly performed diagnostic examinations. It’s painless and quick and involves having a picture taken to see the size of your heart and whether there is fluid in your lungs. The entire process takes about 15 minutes.

How it works

You will be asked to stand in front of the machine and hold your breath while the X-rays are taken. Usually two pictures are taken—one from the back and one from the side.

What to know before you go

Many people wonder if having an X-ray is harmful. The amount of radiation used in a chest X-ray is considered small. In fact, it’s equal to about 10 days of background radiation that a person gets each year from natural sources like the sun and the ground. However, X-rays usually aren't recommended for women who are pregnant, so be sure to tell your doctor if you are. You will be asked to wear a hospital gown and remove all jewelry.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.

Duration:

10 minutes

Clothing:

Hospital gown

Jewelry:

No

Food/Beverages:

OK

Alert Doctor:

Medications

See the beat of your heart

An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a painless procedure that detects and records the electrical activity of your heart. It shows how fast the heart is beating and the heart’s rhythm, whether steady or irregular.

How it works

A technician places small, flat, sticky patches called electrodes on your chest, arms, and legs. If you have a lot of hair on your chest, it may have to be shaved. The patches are connected to a computer that creates a graph of your heart’s activity. It takes several minutes to attach the leads, but the test itself takes only a few seconds. Usually it is necessary to lie flat for the EKG test.

What to know before you go

Little preparation is necessary before an EKG. You can eat or drink fluids before or after this test. Be sure to avoid exercise, like climbing the stairs, immediately before an EKG. Also, because the electrodes need to stick to your skin, do not wear heavy creams or lotions, or pantyhose. You may be asked to remove any jewelry and wear a hospital gown.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.

Duration:

30–60 minutes

Clothing:

Hospital gown

Jewelry:

OK

Food/Beverages:

OK

Alert Doctor:

N/A

See your heart in motion

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound image of the heart that allows your doctor to see your heart in motion. It’s a painless test that uses sound waves to create images of your heart. An echo shows how well your heart is pumping blood to the body, the thickness of your heart muscle, and the condition of your heart valves.

How it works

You'll lie on the table. The technician will apply a gel to your chest and then move a microphone-like device (called a transducer) over your skin. The transducer will send silent sound waves through your chest and create a picture of your heart on a monitor.

What to know before you go

No special preparations are necessary. You’re able to eat and drink as you normally would. You may be asked to change into a hospital gown. You usually can go back to your normal activities immediately after having an echocardiogram.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.

Duration:

25–40 minutes; longer if includes stress test

Clothing:

Hospital gown or own clothing

Jewelry:

No

Food/Beverages:

No alcohol/caffeine/smoking for 48 hours before; no food after midnight; water OK

Alert Doctor:

Pregnancy/breastfeeding; medications/supplements; allergies; recent illness; lung or knee problems

How healthy is your heart?

A nuclear heart scan, also called radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) or a multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan, evaluates the results of the flow of blood to the heart muscle and how well your heart pumps blood to your body. It also checks for damaged heart muscle.

How it works

This test is usually done while you are resting and then again after you exercise. During a nuclear heart scan, you’ll swallow, inhale, or be injected with a radioactive material called a radiotracer. Special cameras outside your body detect the radiotracer and create pictures of different parts of your heart. If you're having an exercise stress test as part of your nuclear heart scan, you will walk/run on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bicycle while attached to electrocardiography and blood pressure monitors.

What to know before you go

You may need to avoid eating and drinking beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol for 48 hours before the test. Let your doctor know if you’re taking any medications or vitamin supplements or have allergies. After the test, most people can go back to daily activities with instructions to drink plenty of fluids. The radioactivity naturally leaves the body in the urine or stool.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.

Duration:

Several hours

Clothing:

Hospital gown

Jewelry:

N/A

Food/Beverages:

No food, fluids for 6–8 hours

Alert Doctor:

Diabetes, kidney disease, medications, seafood allergy, pregnancy, taking Viagra

Looking inside your heart

Cardiac catheterization is a common medical procedure that evaluates the heart’s pumping action and checks for narrowed or blocked coronary arteries.

How it works

This procedure takes place in a hospital or special facility. You may be given medication to help you relax, but you will still be awake. A thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into an artery in your arm, neck or groin and threaded to your heart for tests or treatment.

A procedure called coronary angiography is often done at the same time. Once the catheter is in place, a special liquid (contrast agent) is injected. This liquid can be seen on X-rays, allowing the doctor to record images of blood flowing through the coronary arteries and determine how well blood is being pumped out of the heart’s main pumping chambers.

What to know before you go

It may not be safe to drive right after having cardiac catheterization. If your doctor says you can go home the same day as the procedure, you should arrange for a ride home.

Talk to your doctor about how you should prepare for this test, and if you should stop taking any of your medicines before the procedure.

Duration:

45 minutes

Clothing:

Hospital gown/loose clothing with no metal

Jewelry:

No

Food/Beverages:

Check with MRI facility

Alert Doctor:

Pregnancy, claustrophobia, implanted metal devices

See the details of your heart

An MRI is a noninvasive procedure using powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of your heart and major blood vessels. No radiation is involved.

How it works

You will lie on a table that slides into a tunnel-like tube within the scanner. The technician will ask you to lie still for several minutes while each scan is taken. You will hear loud noises from the moving parts of the MRI machine at times during the procedure.

What to know before you go

Tell the technician if you get claustrophobic (anxious in confined spaces). Some of the newer cardiac MRI machines are open on all sides. You can ask your doctor to help you find a facility if an open MRI is necessary.

Because an MRI uses strong magnets, patients with a heart pacemaker or other implanted metal devices may not be able to have an MRI. Tell the technician if you have a hearing aid, an intrauterine device (IUD), or any metal plates, pins, screws, surgical staples, or shrapnel in your body. Also tell the technician if you have tattoos or if you work with metal.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.

Duration:

25 minutes; up to an hour if angiography

Clothing:

Hospital gown

Jewelry:

No

Food/Beverages:

No food/caffeine/smoking for 4 to 6 hours before; food restricted if angiography

Alert Doctor:

Medical conditions, pregnancy/breastfeeding, medications, allergies

See your heart in 3-D

A CT scan is a computer-enhanced X-ray that provides clear, detailed images of the body to show the structure and function of the heart muscles, heart valves, and blood vessels.

How it works

During a cardiac CT scan, you lie on a table that slides into the scanner. As the X-ray machine moves around your body in a circle, the technician will ask you to lie still and hold your breath as each scan is taken. It will take pictures of your heart. The technician controls the machine from the next room and can talk to you through an intercom system.

A procedure called coronary angiography is often done at the same time. A special liquid (contrast agent) is injected that can be seen on X-rays, allowing the doctor to record images of blood flowing through the coronary arteries and determine how well blood is being pumped out of the heart’s main pumping chambers.

What to know before you go

Avoid eating, caffeine, or smoking for 4 to 6 hours before the scan if the special liquid will be used. Food is restricted if having an angiography. Remove all jewelry before the scan. If you are obese, ask your doctor to contact the scanner operator. Once the scan is done, you’re able to return to your normal activities.

If you have any questions about this procedure, be sure to ask your doctor.