Chapter 5 - Cardiovascular System - Diagnostic Tests and Procedures

Physical examination method of listening to sounds within the body with a stethoscope (e.g., ~ of the chest for heart and lung sounds)

Abnormal heart sound that mimics the gait of a horse; related to abnormal ventricular contraction

An electrical picture of the heart represented by positive and negative deflections on a graph labeled with the letters P, Q, R, S, and T, which correspond to events of the cardiac cycle

Electrocardiogram of the heart recorded during the induction of controlled physical exercise using a treadmill or ergometer (bicycle); useful in detecting heart conditions (e.g., ischemia or infarction)

Portable electrocardiograph worn by the patient that monitors electrical activity of the heart over 24 hours; useful in detecting periodic abnormalities

Invasive procedure involving placement of catheter-guided electrodes within the heart to evaluate and map the electrical conduction of cardiac arrhythmias; intracardiac catheter ablation may be performed at the same time to treat the arrhythmia

Use of radiofrequency waves sent through a catheter within the heart to treat arrhythmias by selectively destroying myocardial tissue at sites that generate abnormal electrical pathways

Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and blood vessels for evaluation of pathology

Radionuclide organ imaging of the heart after administration of radioactive isotopes to visualize structures and to analyze functions

Scan of the heart made after an intravenous (IV) injection of an isotope (e.g., thallium) as it is absorbed by myocardial cells in proportion to blood flow throughout the heart; useful in evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD)

Nuclear perfusion scan of the heart that is made before and after the induction of controlled physical exercise (treadmill or bicycle) or a pharmaceutical agent that produces the effect of exercise stress in patients who are unable to ambulate

Nuclear image of the beating heart in motion made as radioactive isotopes are injected in the bloodstream and traced through the heart's chambers; useful in evaluating the pumping function of the ventricles

Use of specialized nuclear isotopes and computed tomographic techniques to produce perfusion (blood flow) images and to study the cellular metabolism of the heart; can be performed at rest or with stress

X-ray imaging

Process of x-ray imaging a blood vessel after injection of contrast medium, most commonly after catheter placement