A-Z cardiac services
When it comes to your heart health, having clear information about available treatments and procedures can help you feel more confident about your care.
This glossary provides comprehensive descriptions of the cardiac services we offer at Calvary Lenah Valley hospital, helping you better understand what each procedure or service involves and when it might be recommended.
A
The ambulatory blood pressure monitor is a gold standard modality to assess 24-hour blood control and variability across the day and night.
The ambulatory holter monitor is used to assess for cardiac arrhythmia in the investigation of palpitations, dizziness/collapse, shortness of breath and stroke for a 24-48 hour period.
An angiogram is a diagnostic procedure performed by injecting a contrast dye into blood vessels and then using X-ray imaging to visualise blood flow through coronary arteries, revealing blockages or narrowing.
The procedure involves threading a thin catheter through an artery in a patient’s wrist or groin up to your heart, where the dye is released to create detailed real-time images of your coronary circulation.
During an angioplasty procedure, a small balloon stent is inserted into a narrowed portion of the heart artery and expanded to open a patient’s blood vessel.
Angioplasties can be used to treat a sudden closure of the artery, such as a heart attack, or can be used to open chronic and slowly progressive narrowing of an artery.
C
A cardiac MRI is used to diagnose or monitor heart disease in a patient.
During this procedure, a patient typically spends 30-45 minutes within the MRI scanner and performs breathing exercises whilst the machine captures highly detailed images of inside the patient’s heart and cardiac function.
A coronary calcium score is a simple screening tool to assess the volume of advanced calcium build-up in a patient’s heart artery. The scan is used to reclassify cardiac risk and determine the need and intensity of medical therapy.
This test is typically performed in males aged 45-75 and females aged 50-80, but can sometimes be performed earlier in higher risk situations.
At Calvary Lenah Valley Hospital, coronary calcium scores at are performed in conjunction with I-MED Radiology.
In addition to a coronary calcium score, a CT coronary angiogram involves injecting an iodine-based contrast solution into the patient’s artery. This enables a highly detailed assessment of potential cardiac risks including coronary narrowing, calcified plaque and early, high-risk, non-calcified plaque.
A CT coronary angiogram will pick up plaque typically up to ten years prior to a standard coronary calcium score and therefore can be reliably performed on patients of an early age group.
D
In patients with potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, a defibrillator implantation may be necessary.
A defibrillator provides all the function of a pacemaker, but with the ability to administer defibrillation shocks to the patient when required.
Instead of physical exercise, this type of stress echocardiography uses a drug called dobutamine to simulate the stress of exercise on a patient’s heart in order to diagnose severe coronary artery narrowings at high heart rates, typically for pre-surgical assessment.
E
A test performed to assess for cardiac arrhythmia, conduction disease and arrhythmic concerns.
Electrical cardioversions restore normal heart rhythm for patients stuck in atrial fibrillation/flutter.
Performed in theatre, this is achieved by sending an electric pulse between two pads placed on the patient’s chest and back whilst the patient is sedated under general anaesthetic.
The event monitor is used for intermittent symptoms of dizziness, palpitations and more comprehensive stroke assessment for possible atrial fibrillation. The monitor can be worn on/off up to four weeks.
Exercise stress echocardiography is similar to an exercise stress test, but with before and after targeted echocardiography assessment.
The test helps doctors to:
- Evaluate blood flow to your heart muscle during physical exertion
- Detect coronary artery disease by identifying areas of your heart that don't contract normally when under stress
- Determine the effectiveness of cardiac treatments
- Assess your overall cardiac function, especially if you're experiencing symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath during activity
- Establish safe exercise limits for cardiac rehabilitation programs.
An exercise stress test is a graduated treadmill test with continuous ECG monitoring used to assess exercise induced cardiac issues such as shortness of breath, dizziness/palpitations, and chest pain.
I
An implantable loop recorder (ILR) is a small device inserted under the skin of the chest near the heart to monitor to record abnormal heart rhythms for highly intermittent but concerning cardiac arrhythmias.
This can be inserted for up to five years.
P
Pacemakers are small devices inserted into a patient’s chest in order to regulate abnormal heart rhythms caused by following conditions:
- severe heart block
- conduction disease
- inadequate heart rate response to exercise
The pacemaker monitors the patient’s natural heart rate and maintains a health rhythm by adding heart beats to either the top or bottom heart chamber to reduce symptoms of dizziness or shortness of breath.
A patent foramen ovale, or PFO, is a hole in the heart that didn’t close naturally after birth. When left untreated, this can allow clots to pass through the heart and cause strokes in younger patients, or if the hole is large enough, can lead to progressive heart dilatation and heart failure.
During a PFO closure, a small device is inserted via the patient's groin vein to seal this hole and prevent any complications.
This procedure is typically performed under transoesophageal imaging guidance whilst the patient is under anaesthetic.
T
A transoesophageal echocardiogram is a detailed heart ultrasound performed from within the oesophagus/stomach. Like an endoscopy, a narrow probe is inserted into the throat whilst the patient is sedated to take highly detailed images of the cardiac valves and posterior structures.
While it's more invasive than a standard echocardiogram, this procedure provides superior image quality for specific clinical situations where detailed imaging is crucial for diagnosis or procedural guidance.
A transthoracic echocardiogram is a detailed heart ultrasound to assess for structural cardiac abnormalities of the heart muscle (heart failure), valvular disease, inherited cardiac disease, aortic diseases, congenital heart disease.
This test can be combined with an injectable bubble study for stroke workup in younger stroke patients.