Clinic-Based, Non-Invasive Tests:

• Coumadin Clinic

For patients who have a condition requiring anticoagulation.  The majority of patients who are in our Coumadin Clinic are anticoagulated with medication which require monitoring.  Your provider will review these results and make any adjustments of your dosage necessary to maintain the appropriate level of anticoagulation for your particular needs.

• Electrocardiogram

An ECG gives two major kinds of information. First, by measuring time intervals on the ECG, a doctor can determine how long the electrical wave takes to pass through the heart. Finding out how long a wave takes to travel from one part of the heart to the next shows if the electrical activity is normal or slow, fast or irregular. Second, by measuring the amount of electrical activity passing through the heart muscle, a cardiologist may be able to find out if parts of the heart are too large or are overworked.

• 24/48 Hour Holter Monitor

A Holter monitor is a continuous tape recording of a patient's EKG for 24-48 hours. Since it can be worn during the patient's regular daily activities, it helps the physician correlate symptoms of dizziness, palpitations (a sensation of fast or irregular heart rhythm) or black outs. Since the recording covers 24 hours, on a continuous basis, Holter monitoring is much more likely to detect an abnormal heart rhythm when compared to the EKG which lasts less than a minute.

• Cardiac Event Monitor

Like Holter monitoring, event monitoring involves wearing a very small, portable, EKG recorder over a period of time that can vary from weeks to months. When a patient is having an event (like dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, fainting spells or chest pain), he or she just pushes a button to record what is happening with the heart.

• Treadmill Stress Test

A stress test (also known as a treadmill test or exercise test), helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart. It also helps doctors know the kind and level of exercise appropriate for a patient

• Nuclear Treadmill Stress Test

A nuclear stress test usually involves taking two sets of images of your heart — one set during an exercise stress test while you're exercising on a treadmill or with medication that stresses your heart, and another while you're at rest. A nuclear stress test is used to gather information about how well your heart works during physical activity and at rest.

• Stress Echo Test

A Stress Echo Test is an exam that helps your doctor see how well your heart pumps during exercise. Sound waves are bounced off your heart to create images of your heart before and after exercise. A comparison of the before and after images tells the doctor if your heart is getting enough blood to meet the increased demand for oxygen during exercise (stress).

• Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. This commonly used test allows your doctor to see how your heart is beating and pumping blood. Your doctor can use the images from an echocardiogram to identify various abnormalities in the heart muscle and valves.

• Carotid Ultrasound

 A Carotid Ultrasound is a safe, painless procedure that uses sound waves to examine the structure and function of the carotid arteries in the neck.

Hospital-Based, Invasive Tests and Procedures (For more information about these or any procedures, please call our office at 303-442-2395)

• Cardiac Catheterization
• Carotid Angiogram
• Transesophageal Echo (TEE)
• Electrophysiology (EP) Studies
• Peripheral Vascular Studies

Hospital-Based, Interventional Procedures 

• Coronary Angioplasty (Balloon)
• Coronary Atherectomy (Rotoblator)
• Stents
• Beta_Cath System (Stent Radiation)
• Ablation Therapy
• Angiojet
• Cardiac Pacemakers
• Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
• Resynchronization Therapy