Accurate Detection of Heart Disease.

If you smoke, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes; you may be one of the millions of Americans with heart disease. For many people, heart disease is treatable through medical procedures and lifestyle changes. And because it can be asymptomatic, it’s important to find out if you have heart disease. At Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, we offer a variety of diagnostic tests that we perform without surgery, giving us a safe and accurate means of detecting heart disease in our patients.

Our non-invasive tests include echocardiograms, stress and transesophageal echocardiograms, nuclear stress tests, electrophysiology tests, and the heart safe scan.

When you come to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for cardiac testing, you can rest assured that you will receive the latest in diagnostic tools and equipment. Our labs are completely digitized, adding to the speed in which we can perform the tests and receive the results. All of our technologists are experienced, and we utilize tight quality control to provide our patients with fast and reliable results.

To find a physician who performs non-invasive diagnostics, call our Health Match Physician Referral Program at (510) 869-6777.

• Stress and Transesophageal Echocardiogram
• Nuclear Stress Tests
• Non-Invasive Electrophysiology Tests
• Heart Safe Scan

Stress and Transesophageal Echocardiogram

An Echocardiogram is an ultrasound-generated, graphic image of the heart’s movement, valves, and four chambers. By seeing the heart's motions in this way, we can quickly diagnose the presence and severity of heart valve problems, as well as determine abnormal flow within the heart. We use two types of Echocardiograms: Stress and Transesophageal.

A Stress Echocardiogram combines a treadmill stress test and an Echocardiogram. We perform an Echocardiogram while you are at rest, then again at peak heart rate during exercise. The Stress Echocardiogram enables us to evaluate your cardiac function in relation to possible coronary artery disease, heart valve function, and overall level of cardiovascular conditioning.

To give even greater visual clarity to the heart’s structure and function, we use a contrast agent during a stress echocardiogram that enhances the “echoes” reflected back from the heart. Contrast agents help us to see or identify abnormal connections or blood flow between chambers of the heart. We inject the contrast agent into the bloodstream through a vein in your arm.

When a patient is unable to exercise, we can still perform a stress test using a drug that mimics the effect of exercise on the heart. This test allows us to evaluate the heart muscle and heart valve problems.

We perform a Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) to better visualize parts of the heart. This tool enables us to determine if you have an infected heart valve, blood clots, or other heart problems by transmitting very clear images of the heart. This low-risk procedure enables us to see the heart from the inside of the body and diagnose a variety of heart problems.


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Nuclear Stress Tests

A nuclear stress test combines the treadmill portion with pictures recorded on a computerized gamma camera. We inject the patient with a small dose of a radioactive substance so the camera can see into the heart.

A basic stress test requires leads on the chest to provide the EKG signal. We monitor your heart rate, heart rhythm, blood pressure, and look for changes that suggest that the heart is not receiving enough blood for its needs. We record an EKG at rest, at peak exercise, and afterwards.

The treadmill test allows us to get information about your heart health by determining the amount you are able to exercise based on your age. Also, how you feel during the test along with the response of your blood pressure and EKG reading can help us figure out if you have a heart problem.


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Non-Invasive Electrophysiology Tests

A variety of non-invasive tests enable us to diagnose irregular heart rhythms: EKG, Holter Monitor, Loop Recorder, and Syncope Fainting Tilt Table Tests.

EKG, Holter Monitor, Loop Recorder
An EKG graphically displays the electrical activity of the heart. We place small electrodes on your chest, legs, and arms and connect them to a machine that records your heart rhythm. The standard EKG records heart rhythms over a few minutes while you are in the office.

To collect heart rhythm data for a 24-, 48, or 72-hour period, we use a Holter Monitor. This small monitor is the size of a small tape recorder and stays with you over the recording time period. If we need a longer period of time to detect irregular rhythms, we use a loop recorder. The recorder is worn at waist for a 30-day period and is wired to two gel electrodes. When you feel a symptom, you press a button and the recorder makes a record of the event. You then download the information by telephone for us to review so that we can diagnose and treat you.

Syncope Fainting Tilt Table Tests
The Syncope Tilt Table Test determines the causes of neurocardiogenic syncope. People faint for a variety of reasons, but for some, it’s related to an abnormal nervous system reflex that causes the heartbeat to slow down and the blood pressure to drop. This is called vasovagal, neurocardiogenic, or abnormal vasoregulatory syncope. Although the condition is not life threatening, it can cause the injuries that result from sudden fainting.


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Heart Safe Scan

The Heart Safe Scan finds signs of plaque in the heart in otherwise healthy patients and predicts risk of coronary artery disease, offering the opportunity to prevent the progression of the disease. Our scanner painlessly and safely take pictures of your heart: With EKG detectors on your chest, you lie on the bed as it moves through the CT scan ring to capture cross-sectional images of your heart. The scan measures plaque build up and compares it to the standards for your age and gender. This tool allows us to motivate those at risk to change their lifestyle through a heart healthy diet and exercise regimen.

The CT scanner also supports the EP lab with the expanded capability to do 3D pulmonary vein mapping that guides cardiologists performing EP and ablation procedures.


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