Stress Test: The ECG is recorded while you walk on a treadmill, it is most commonly requested if your symptoms are suggestive of angina. The test provides lots of information, such as heart rhythm.Ī standard ECG is commonly requested and may be performed at each attendance to clinic. Up to 10 small stickers (electrodes) are positioned on your arms, legs and chest to pick up these very small signals, the machine amplifies the signals and prints them on a chart. Electrocardiography (ECG)Īn electrocardiogram is a painless test that records the very tiny electrical impulses that make the heart contract. There will be some preparation required for this test and this information will be sent with your appointment letter. These tests are performed as day case procedures as you will be lightly sedated for the test. This can be achieved by passing a small probe down behind your heart via your food pipe (oesophagus). It is sometimes necessary to obtain images in greater detail. This is useful if the Doctor needs to have an accurate measure of how well you heart is pumping. We are particularly interested to see if the bubbles can be seen in the left side of your heart which would suggest there is a communication between the two sides of your heart.Ī special ultrasound contrast agent is injected into a vein, the contrast is designed to pass through the lungs so that the outline of the left side of the heart can be seen in detail. Salty water is agitated and injected into a vein, the bubbles pass into the right side of the heart, and then absorbed by the lungs. In addition to the Transthoracic Echocardiogram we also provide: Contrast EchocardiographyĪdding contrast to the scan enhances the pictures and provides detail that would not normally be visible. The images are also stored for future review by a Cardiologist if required. Once the test is complete the physiologist will review the images, and compile a report for the requestor. The machine uses a gel on the chest to ensure a good contact for the transducer which collects the sound reflections to build a picture on the screen.
You will be asked to completely undress to the waist and lie and relax on your left side on the couch as this is the best way to get clear pictures. There is no preparation required for a routine scan (Transthoracic Echo cardiogram). It will take between 20-60 minutes to perform the test depending on the type of scan being performed. The test is painless, and there are no documented side effects of medical ultrasound.
The physiologists will use this technique to assess the size and shape of heart structures, how the various structures move, and the patterns of blood flow through the heart. It uses sound to build a moving picture of your heart. Your appointment will be in the Cardiorespiratory Unit in the Blue Zone on the ground floor at Maidstone Hospital or Zone 1 Outpatients on level 0 at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.īoth departments carry out the following diagnostic tests: Ultrasound imaging of the heart (Echocardiography)Įchocardiography is one of the most common tools to assess heart function. Your appointment letter will advise you whether you need to stop any medication prior to attending your test. Our team of Cardiac Physiologists and Cardiographers perform a range of investigations and ongoing monitoring that have been requested by a Consultant, GP or specialist nurse in charge of your care. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals both have a diagnostic department specialising in Cardiac Physiology.
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