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Consultative
Cardiology |
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Cardiac
Catheterization |
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Interventional
Cardiology |
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Noninvasive
Cardiovascular Lab |
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Nuclear Stress Testing |
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The heart receives life-giving blood from
vessels called coronary arteries. If these arteries become partially
blocked or narrowed by the accumulation of fatty materials, the heart
may not receive the blood it needs to function properly. This
narrowing of coronary arteries is called coronary atherosclerosis or,
more commonly, coronary artery disease (CAD). As CAD progresses, the
heart muscle may not receive enough blood when under stress, for
example, when exercising. This often results in chest pain called
angina pectoris. On the other hand, there may be no outward physical
signs of the disease.
If CAD is limiting blood flow to a part of your heart, the stress
exam with CARDIOLITE may be useful in detection the presence and
significance of CAD.
This exam usually consists of two parts, rest and stress:
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CARDIOLITE will be administered by injection while you are at rest,
and a special camera will take pictures of your heart.
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CARDIOLITE will be administered to you one other time by an injection
during exercise (the "stress" portion of the test), and additional
pictures will be taken of your heart. |
This allows the physician to compare the amount of blood flowing
through the heart muscle during stress and at rest. The pictures are
generally taken about one-half hour or later, after CARDIOLITE is
administered.
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Coumadin Clinic |
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The
Bradenton Cardiology physicians have worked together with Registered
Nurses to create a clinic with the sole focus of monitoring the
effects of Coumadin. Our computer based system provides tracking and
follow up of our patients. Our Registered Nurses are dedicated to
providing education and working with patients as partners to provide
the most therapeutic monitoring possible. |
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Echocardiography & Transesophageal Echo |
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An echocardiogram is a test that uses
ultrasound waves to examine the heart. It is a safe and painless
procedure that helps doctors diagnose a variety of heart problems.
The echocardiogram provides doctors with important information about
the heart. This test can be performed in the doctor's office or at
the hospital. No special preparation is necessary for this test.
A thorough examination usually takes from 20 minutes to an hour,
depending on the number of views and whether the Doppler echo is
used. The echocardiogram is very safe. There are no known risks from
the ultrasound waves. It is also painless, although you may feel
slight discomfort when the transducer is held firmly against the
chest.
The major benefit of this test is that it gives information about the
heart's structures and blood flow without anything entering the body.
This information helps your doctor make an accurate diagnosis and
develop a treatment plan that's best for you.
Transesophageal echocardiography is a test that allows your doctor to
record images of your heart from inside your esophagus, or food pipe.
Since the esophagus lies just behind the heart, TEE may produce
clearer pictures of the heart's movement than would standard
echocardiography taken from outside the chest.
During TEE, harmless sound waves bounce (echo) off your heart. These
sound waves create images of your heart as it pumps blood throughout
the valves of your heart as it pumps blood throughout the valves and
chambers. These images help your doctor identify and treat problems such as
infection, disease, or defects in your heart's walls or valves.
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Peripheral & Carotid Ultrasound |
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