Common Diagnostic Procedures Flashcards
What is ambulatory electrocardiography
It’s halter monitoring, recording ECG for 24-48 hours
What does a halter monitor evaluate?
1) cardiac rhythm
2) the efficacy of medications
3) pacemaker function
- it is correlated into a diary of a patient’s symptoms and activities
A ______ is a radiologic exam that injects contrast medium into vessel. This test can show plaques in the coronary arteries and the extent of occlusion
What is “angiography”
A ____ is a procedure for direct visualization of the bronchial tree
Bronchoscopy
What procedure has a thin catheter inserted into the arm or leg, advanced to coronary arteries where coronary arteries are evaluated for narrowing or occlusion? What can it also measure?
What is “Cardiac Catheterization”
It also measures BP in the heart and O2 in the blood
What is the purpose for “carotid ultrasound”?
The purposes are to SCREEN FOR BLOCKAGES that may indicate RISK OF STROKE and to evaluate the placement of a stent
What is a Chest Radiograph used for?
to visualize location, size and shape of heart, lungs, blood vessels, ribs and bones of the spine
What does a Echocardiography evaluate?
It evaluates the functioning of the heart via real time images
It provides info on size and function of the walls, valves and chambers of the heart
A _______ is a noninvasive procedure using a handheld ultrasound transducer placed on the chest
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TEE)
Why does a Transthoracic Echocardiography (TEE) provide a more detailed image of the heart?
Because the ultrasound transducer is passed into the esophagus which is in close proximity to the heart.
________ evaluates the rhythm or electrical conduction abnormalities of the heart using 3 to 5 catheters
Electrophysiologic testing
This continuous x ray shows the heart and lungs but since it has a HIGH DOSE OF RADIATION, it was replaced with echocardiography
Fluoroscopy
Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring: What does the balloon catheter they call the Swan-Ganz catheter do?
placed in the pulmonary artery to obtain the pulmonary wedge pressure and L atrial pressure
Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring: What does a thermodilution catheter do?
it can measure CARDIAC OUTPUT
Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring: What does a central venous pressure (CVP) do?
It measures pressure in the vena cava or right atrium
What can an MRI do?
images of heart and blood vessels, assess size and function of the chambers, thickness and movement of the walls, extent of damage caused by MI or heart disease, structural problems in the aorta (aneurysms, dissections) and presence of plaques and blockages in blood vessels
This is also known as radionuclide stress test and nuclear stress test
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI)
What does myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) show?
it shows how well the heart muscle is perfused at rest and under exercise stress
When is a pharmacologic stress test used?
It is used when contraindications to a routine exercise stress test exist or when the pt is unable to exercise due to injury or another debilitating condition
what is a pharmacologic stress test?
a diagnostic procedure which cardiovascular stress is induced by pharmacologic agents
What measures the sounds produced by the heart and great vessels?
What is a “Phonocardiography”
What does a phonocardiogram supplement?
It supplements auscultation and improves the detection of S3 and S4 heart sounds in the diagnosis of heart failure
This procedure uses a small video camera inserted between the ribs into the pleural space to examine lung surfaces, pleura, and pleura space
Pleuroscopy
Why does a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) do what it does?
It uses radioactive material which accumulates in areas with high level of activity corresponding to areas of disease.
What is a PET useful for evaluating?
Heart disease and cancer
What procedure removes fluid from the pleural space with a needle for microbiologic and cytologic studies?
Thoracentesis
What does a V/Q scan do?
A Ventilation-Perfusion Scan studies airflow and blood flow within the lungs to diagnose if PULMONARY EMBOLISM is present
What is a pulmonary embolism?
It’s where 1 or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot.
