Advanced non-invasive cardiology imaging technologies such as ultrasound and nuclear tracer imaging have dramatically improved early detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Patients who are at risk for heart disease either because of genetics or lifestyle choices are especially well-served by the enhanced capabilities offered by the technology available today. Non-invasive cardiology techniques are typically safe and painless, and allow you to resume normal activities almost immediately.
HUMC Non-invasive Cardiology Services Department is committed to performing high quality, cost effective diagnostic evaluations for inpatients and outpatients. It offers innovative services and equipment to provide advanced non-invasive methods and technologies to diagnose heart disease. Excellence is achieved through the education and technical skill of the professional/technical staff performing the studies, well-maintained state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, and the commitment on the part of all staff to meeting the needs of our customers: you and your family, physicians, and interrelated medical departments.
Our board-certified cardiologists and nationally accredited technologists will immediately and accurately diagnose your condition so you can move ahead to treatment.
Our Echocardiography Laboratory is accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission of Echocardiography. Accreditation is granted only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care. Patients can rest assured that accredited facilities have been carefully critiqued on all aspects of their operations. Patients can rely on accreditation as an indication that the facility where their examination will be performed has proven a commitment to providing quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.
The Cardiovascular Laboratory Department works closely with cardiologists to provide a full range of diagnostic studies on the heart. These studies are extremely valuable in evaluating and diagnosing a wide variety of heart conditions or in planning the appropriate courses of treatments for those conditions. We provide a broad range of non-invasive cardiology studies, including:
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Stress Test: A cardiac stress test is an EKG done when you are at rest and when your heart is “stressed” or working hard. The test can show how your heart responds to increased workload, including how much work your heart can safely do after you have had a heart attack or heart surgery. The test may involve walking on a treadmill or medications (pharmacological stress test) to increase your heart rate. If your doctor wants pictures of your heart as well as an EKG, he or she may order a nuclear stress test.
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Exercise Stress Testing/Treadmill Stress Test: A test that assists in identifying electrocardiographic (EKG) changes during exercise, such as walking on a treadmill. We will monitor your blood pressure and EKG while you walk on a treadmill. As the treadmill speed increases, you will have to walk faster, and your heart will work harder. Try to go as long as possible on the treadmill. Your best effort will give your doctor the most accurate information.
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Pharmacological (Drug-Induced) Stress Tests: This test is for patients who are not able to walk on a treadmill. Like a treadmill test, it will evaluate your heart’s responses to stress, but in this case, medication rather than physical exercise stresses the heart.
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Nuclear Stress Testing: An exercise stress test that uses radionuclide material to measure how the heart functions while walking on a treadmill. Medications can be used to stimulate the exercise for patients who are unable to walk on the treadmill.
In addition to measuring your heart’s electrical activity during stress, a nuclear study provides pictures of your heart. This nuclear study has two parts: a scan of your heart at rest and a scan of your heart under stress. This information will help us determine if any of the coronary arteries are blocked. To take the scan, we will give you a small amount of weak radioactive isotope through your IV. On a scan, it will show which areas of your heart muscle are receiving blood.
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Exercise Stress Echocardiogram: A stress echocardiogram is an integration of ultrasound imaging and the exercise stress testing.
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Transthoracic Echocardiogram: The echocardiogram uses ultrasound to create video pictures of the heart’s chambers, valves, and wall motion and blood flow patterns. This test can be done while you are at rest or during a stress test (stress test echocardiogram). It is useful in diagnosing and evaluating several types of heart disease, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the treatments. Transthoracic echocardiogram is the standard approach to do an echocardiogram.
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Transesophageal echocardiogram: A different approach to an echocardiogram where a specially designed probe is introduced into the esophagus to obtain very clear images of the heart. It is the preferred imaging method when transthoracic echocardiogram views are suboptimal or when structures cannot be seen with a transthoracic echocardiogram and must be examined. Like a routine echocardiogram, TEE uses ultrasound to create images; however, TEE images are clearer because they are taken with a scope from inside your body. Your doctor may order a TEE if the routine echocardiogram cannot answer all of the questions about your heart’s structure and function. TEE involves passing a special ultrasound scope through your mouth into your food pipe (esophagus) to take pictures.
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Holter monitoring: A Holter monitor uses a portable heart rhythm recorder worn for 1-2 days. Holter monitoring gives doctors a constant reading of your heart rate and rhythm over a 24-hour period (or longer). It constantly monitors a person’s heart and records the heart rhythms for later analysis by the physician. The patient is instructed to keep an activity log where he can write notes when symptoms occur.
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Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG): An EKG/ECG is a painless test that uses electrodes placed on the skin to record the heart’s electrical activity. The test provides information about the heart rhythm and damage to the heart muscle.
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Tilt Table Test: If you have sudden or frequent fainting spells (syncope), your doctor may order a Tilt-Table Test. During this test, we will monitor your heart rate and blood pressure as you lie flat on a table. Then we will tilt the table upward, so that you are almost in a standing position. The changes in your heart rate and blood pressure as you change position can show whether it is a heart rhythm problem that is causing you to faint.
Contact Information:
Location:
5thfloor, Main building
30 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone:
To schedule an appointment, call Central Scheduling Department at 1-866-4114862
For assistance with scheduling an appointment and other inquiries, call (201) 996-2428
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Fri- 7:00AM-9:00PM; on-call hours from 9PM-7AM
Sat-Sun & holidays-7:00AM-4:30PM; on-call hours from 4:30PM- 7AM