Your doctor will use medical history, risk factors, a physical exam, and the results from tests and procedures to help diagnosis if you have heart disease. There is no single test can diagnose heart disease. Based on the information provided by Mayo Clinic (2015) and NHLBI (2016), these are the following procedure you doctor may order to help diagnosis coronary artery disease: Specific Procedures to Diagnosis Coronary Artery Disease Physical Exam During a physical exam, your doctor uses a stethoscope to check your arteries for any abnormal sounds, which may indicate poor blood flow due to plaque buildup. Electrocardiogram (ECG) An EKG records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through the heart. The test shows how fast the heart is beating and its rhythm. An EKG can show signs of heart damage. Stress Test During stress testing, you exercise to make your heart work hard and beat fast. If you can't exercise, you may be given medicines to increase your heart rate (mayo clinic staff, 2015). As part of some stress tests, pictures are taken of your heart while you exercise and while you rest. These imaging stress tests can show how well blood is flowing in your heart and how well your heart pumps blood when it beats. Echocardiogram Echocardiography uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart. The test provides information about the size and shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are working. Echo also can show areas of poor blood flow to the heart, areas of heart muscle that aren't contracting normally, and previous injury to the heart muscle caused by poor blood flow. Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiography This is the most accurate method of defining coronary artery disease. This test helps your doctor detect and changes or abnormalities of your blood flow through your heart, blood vessels, and valves. This test uses dye and special x-rays to look inside the arteries of your heart. Special x rays are taken while the dye is flowing through your coronary arteries. The dye allows your doctor to see the flow of blood throughout your heart (NHLBI, 2016). Coronary angiography detects blockages in the large coronary arteries. Coronary angiography can be used to identify the exact location and severity of coronary heart disease. Cardiac Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan A cardiac CT, is a diagnostic imaging test to detect abnormalities of your heart's anatomy, circulation of blood flow in the heart, and blood vessels. “Computerized tomography (CT) technologies can help your doctor see calcium deposits in your arteries that can narrow the arteries” (mayo clinic staff, 2015). A diagnosis of coronary artery disease can be made after a certain amount of calcium is discovered. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Cardiac MRI uses radio waves, magnets, and a computer to create pictures of your heart as it beats. The test produces both still and moving pictures of your heart and major blood vessels. Blood Test Blood tests check the levels of fats, cholesterol, sugar, and proteins in your blood. Abnormal levels may indicate that you're at an increased risk for developing heart disease. Reference Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, December 11). Coronary artery disease. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/diagnosis-treatment/diagnosis/dxc-20165331 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2016, June 22). How Is Coronary Heart Disease Diagnosed? Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/diagnosis
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