Top 5 Methods of Cardiovascular Screening

You may have to undertake different cardiac tests in case you experience concerning symptoms. Your doctor will definitely examine and recommend you to undertake the following tests. With these cardiovascular screening methods, your doctor can get an idea of your risks against heart conditions.

1.     Electrocardiogram  

It is an affordable and useful method of cardiac screening. The cardiologist will probably recommend you an electrocardiogram or ECG if you experience symptoms like heart palpitations or chest pain. The other for ECG is EKG.

The main function of your ECG is to detect the electric activity of your heart. Your doctor can conduct this cardiac test himself in the chamber. ECG basically records information regarding your cardiac rhythm. In case the doctor detects an abnormal rhythm of the heart, it suggests that your heart is not functioning properly.

This process simply records the current rhythm of your heart for about 6 to 10 seconds.  In case of fluctuating symptoms that come and go frequently, doctors recommend continuous ECG. This process monitors your heart’s rhythm for a relatively longer time period.

Wearable ECG devices are also available in the market, allowing you to assess the electrical activity of your heart throughout the day. Doctors often instruct patients with serious heart problems to put on these ECG devices for about 24 to 48 hours continuously.

ECGs are largely helpful in detecting irregular rhythm of your heart. It can further predict risks of blockage of blood supply to the heart.

ECG diagnoses:

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart blockage with irregular cardiac rhythm
• Other heart problems

2.     Echocardiogram

Sonogram refers to taking pictures of your heart. Although the term ‘sonogram’ sounds familiar to tests for pregnancy, it actually means taking images of your internal organs. Echocardiogram is a type of sonogram that visualises the internal condition of your heart.

The other term for ‘echocardiogram’ is ‘cardiac ultrasound’ or simply ‘echo’. This cardiovascular screening method uses ultrasound waves to take images of your heart. Echocardiogram may be trans-thoracic. This process visualises your heart from outside your body through your thoracic cavity.

On the other hand, trans-oesophageal echocardiogram looks at your heart via the oesophagus. It allows a more in-depth study of your heart condition. This second method is comparatively more invasive. It requires anesthetising the person to place the ultrasound through the food pipe.   

Echocardiogram offers an in-detail and real-time visual of the heart. This helps the doctor in evaluating any issue with the walls and valves of the heart. This method examines the tissues of the cardiac muscle at the same time. It also depicts the efficiency of the blood flow.

Echocardiogram helps in diagnosing:

• Structure defects like adult congenital heart disease
• Heart failure
• Blood clots in the heart
• Cardiomyopathy or abnormal heart muscles
• Heart valve disease

3.     Cardiac stress test

A cardiac stress test is a fairly simple process, detecting the optimal function of the heart. You can get ready access to this cardiovascular screening process. In this test, it will record the response of your heart towards both physical as well as chemical stimulation.

Exercise stress test stimulates your heart by examining your activity on a treadmill. Doctors may also use an IV-injectable drug as a chemical stimulation in case you cannot work on a treadmill. Lastly, the nuclear perfusion stress test analyses the sensitivity of your heart through imaging techniques. Doctors perform this method alongside physical or chemical stress test.  

These stress tests tend to increase your heart rate. Change in ECGs indicates this increase. This may lead to blockage in your arteries. Moreover, the imaging technique helps in examining the efficiency of blood flow in different regions of the heart.

This cardiac stress test can diagnose:

• Arrhythmia or irregular rhythm of heart
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart valve disease

4.     Cardiac CT scan

This method of cardiovascular screening uses the CT scanner to develop a 3D view of your heart and its arteries. CT scan can take place through calcium score test or through angiogram. The first process screens the risks of stroke, heart attack, heart failure or other heart disease in your body. Contrarily, the second process is a non-invasive alternative.

Calcium score test is more suitable for patients aging between40and 70 years. This is because these individuals are basically prone to overweight, smoking habits, high cholesterol or are having genetic history of heart problems. CT angiogram, on the contrary, is more helpful for individuals chest pain. They do not have risks of major heart problems.

Calcium test is more potential for visualising plaque build-ups and cholesterol deposits in your body. On the other hand, CT angiogram uses contrast dye to visualise the arteries supplying blood to the heart.    

5.     Coronary angiogram 

Doctors detect artery blockage in your heart through this coronary angiogram. Individuals with severe symptoms generally undergo this cardiovascular screening method.

Coronary angiogram also uses contrast dye, just like CT angiogram, to produce images of arteries supplying blood to the heart. Imaging techniques like scanning through X-rays also produce images of your arteries and internal condition of the heart.

For this test, the doctor looks for your coronary artery, most often through your wrist. Next, a thin and flexible tube, more common as catheter, delivers the dye to your arteries for cardiovascular screening. The most accurate navigation of your area of interest speeds up the recovery time with almost no risk of complications.  

The ultimate target of this method is to look at any blockage or plaque build-up leading to a coronary artery disease. Immediate medical intervention can help improve the conditions.      

Final Thoughts

Cardiovascular screening methods are highly effective in detecting and managing the risks of your heart conditions at the earliest. This blog presents you 5 latest methods for cardiovascular screening. You can get easy access to these screening tests for the best health outcomes. Regular screening allows you get early protection from risks of heart problems.