Coronary Artery Disease – Tests

Transcript

EKGs can be done pretty much instantaneously and the doctor can look at the results fairly quickly after it’s done. Some other tests (such as a stress test) may take a little while to come back and usually can be discussed at a follow-up visit with your doctor, as well as an echocardiogram. Your doctor can also call you with the results of these tests and let you know if they would like you to get any further testing. If there is a significant defect in your stress test or in your echocardiogram, it may be warranted to get what’s called a cardiac catheterization. Now, in this procedure, what’s done is a catheter is inserted either through an artery in your wrist or in your groin up to your heart. After that, dye is injected into the heart arteries to see if a blockage is present. This is called a coronary angiogram. If there’s a blockage present, what’s done is called the PCI or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. A stent can be placed if there’s a blockage that is seen (or multiple stents can be placed if a blockage is seen) and this can temporarily relieve the problem of coronary artery disease.