Conducted to identify the location of your heart’s electrical pathways. Electrical wires are inserted into a catheter and guided through blood vessels in your arm or leg to your heart. While inside the chambers of the heart, the wires record abnormal impulses or heartbeats. Once the abnormality is discovered, it may be treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation.

A procedure used to treat some types of rapid heart beating. A catheter with an electrode at its tip is guided to the area of the heart muscle where there’s an extra pathway. Once in place, a mild, painless burst of radiofrequency energy is transmitted to the extra pathway. This causes heart muscle cells in a very small area to die, which stops the area from conducting the extra impulses that causes the heart to beat too rapidly.

Implantation of a small, battery-operated device that helps the heart beat in a regular rhythm.

An ICD is a small electronic device, about the size of a deck of cards, that is placed inside the body and constantly monitors your heart rhythm. If it senses a dangerous rapid heart rhythm, it delivers one or more pulses or shocks to the heart and restores a more normal rhythm.

Atherectomy is a procedure performed to treat blockages in the arteries. The narrowed arteries are widened by inserting a catheter carrying a device, such as a rotating drill or a cutting blade, into the artery to break up the blockages.

Balloon angioplasty, also known as PTCA or coronary angioplasty, is a procedure used to treat blockages in the coronary arteries. A catheter with a small balloon is inserted into the blocked artery and dilated to open the artery that supplies the heart muscle with blood.

A coronary stent is a cylindrical, wire mesh device that is placed by a catheter into a previously blocked artery to help keep it open.

Valvuloplasty is a non-surgical procedure that may be used to open a narrow valve within the heart.

A patent foramen ovale is a small, flap-like opening in the dividing wall (septum) between the upper two chambers of the heart – the left atrium and the right atrium. In most people, the two flap-like sections of septum, which form the foramen ovale, fuse together after birth. However, in approximately 15-20% of individuals, the foramen doesn’t fuse together and remains open or “patent”. If the blood that crosses the PFO contains debris or a clot, it can enter the arteries which supply the brain and cause a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Nowadays, there is a non-surgical method to treat PFO using a device called a septal repair implant. PFO closure is performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory by a physician.

Peripheral vascular catherterization or intervention is the catheterization, angioplasty or stent placement performed in a vessel outside the heart, such as those leading to the arms, legs, kidneys or brain.

While open-heart aortic valve replacement surgery is the gold standard treatment for severe symptomatic native aortic valve stenosis, there are patients who are not candidates for open-chest surgery. These inoperable patients may be unable to undergo traditional surgery because of factors such as age, history of heart disease, frailty or other health issues. For these patients, a new therapy called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may be an option. TAVR is a procedure that allows physicians to replace a diseased aortic heart valve without open-heart surgery. This procedure enables the placement of a balloon-expandable heart valve into the body with a tube-based delivery system (catheter), which allows the valve to be inserted into an artery through a small cut in the thigh.

A physician will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether this procedure is an appropriate therapeutic option. In certain cases, TAVR may not be an option because of co-existing medical conditions or disease processes that would prevent the patient from experiencing the expected treatment benefit, or because the risks outweigh the benefits. For those who are candidates for TAVR, this therapy may provide relief from the often-debilitating symptoms associated with severe symptomatic native aortic valve stenosis. TAVR is a significant procedure involving general anesthesia, and placement of the valve is associated with specific contraindications as well as serious adverse effects, including risks of death, stroke, damage to the artery used for insertion of the valve, major bleeding, and other life-threatening and serious events. In addition, the longevity of the valve’s function is not yet known.

Many people consider varicose veins to be simply a cosmetic issue, so they delay treatment or avoid it completely. The truth is, untreated varicose veins can progress to a more serious form of vein (venous) disease called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), which can present more serious signs and symptoms such as pain, ankle swelling, fatigue of the legs, skin damage and ulcers.

That’s why a coalition of medical societies is coming together for the Rethink Varicose Veins campaign to encourage the more than 30 million Americans with venous disease, including varicose veins and CVI, to learn more and see a vein specialist for diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, several minimally-invasive treatment options are available that are covered by many insurance plans.

This is an ultrasound test which sends sound waves into the chest that rebound off the heart’s walls and valves. The recorded waves show the shape, texture and movement of the valves on an echocardiogram. They also show the size of the heart chambers and how well they’re working.

Transesophageal echocardiography is a special type of ultrasound imaging procedure. A transducer placed on the end of a tube is passed down a person’s throat and into the esophagus. With the esophagus being close to the heart, images from TEE can give very clear pictures of the heart and its structures.

An abdominal aorta ultrasound is an imaging of the abdominal aorta that looks for potential aneurysms.

CTA is an x-ray technique that produces a more detailed image of the body’s organs than regular x-ray.

CTA detects:

A cardiac calcium score is a screening tool that measures how much calcified plaque is present in the heart arteries of an individual. There is a direct correlation between the amount of calcium in these arteries and the likelihood of a future cardiac event such as heart attack or stroke.

An ultrasound to evaluate blood vessels in the neck that lead to the brain.

Also called ABI, is a comparison of blood pressures of the arms and ankles. May involve a short walk on the treadmill, followed by an ultrasound to evaluate blood flow in the legs.

An ultrasound to evaluate the veins of the arm or leg for blood clots.

A test that records your resting heart rhythm and is used to help physicians diagnose arrhythmias.

Also known as a treadmill test, in which ECG and blood pressure readings are monitored while walking on a treadmill.

Nuclear Cardiac Imaging is a test that produces images of the heart at work (during exercise) and at rest. During a test, you are given an injection of a small dose of a harmless radioactive tracer. Next, you spend time exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle and then resting. A specialized camera (called a “gamma camera”) detects the tracer as it passes through the chambers of your heart, creating the pictures. The pictures may reveal problems in the heart muscle and blood vessels, especially when the images of the heart at work and at rest are compared.

Holter monitoring is usually conducted over a 24-hour period while the patient goes about his or her usual daily activities. It is a continuous recording of the electrocardiogram, which is useful for detecting arrhythmias that may not appear during a resting electrocardiogram.

Like Holter monitoring, event monitoring involves wearing a very small, portable ECG recorder. However, where a holter monitor is worn for a few days at most, an event monitor can be worn for weeks or months. An event monitor is activated when you have “an event,” that is, you feel the symptoms of your heart problem (an arrhythmia, for example). The recorded data can be sent over the phone to your doctor for analysis.

Transtelephonic pacemaker monitoring is used to record the heart rate and rhythms for brief periods, which are sent to a recorder by telephone.

A PET scan of the heart is a noninvasive nuclear imaging test. It uses radioactive tracers (called radionuclides) to produce pictures of your heart. Doctors use cardiac PET scans to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) and damage due to a heart attack. PET scans can show healthy and damaged heart muscle. Doctors also use PET scans to help find out if you will benefit from a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) such as angioplasty and stenting, coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or another procedure.

Resting ABI Screening is an easy to use system which uses automated means to obtain Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)/Toe-Brachial Index (TBI) values and Pulse Volume Recording (PVR) waveforms. In just 15 – 20 minutes, during a regular office visit, the non-invasive ABI, TBI and PVR tests help identify obstructive peripheral disease and determine whether medical or surgical treatment is necessary.