Southern Inyo Hospital Diagnostic Imaging department offers two modalities to support our new Cardiologist, Dr. Quiros. Dr. Quiros will be ordering these two tests to help him evaluate your heart. The Electrocardiogram, or ECG, is used to observe cardiac electrical activity. This will inform the doctor if the rhythm of the heart is normal, or if there is a lack of oxygen to the muscle (ischemia), and how fast your heart is beating. When the test is performed, there will be 10 small stickers attached the chest, which are then connected to leads. The duration of the test is about ten minutes.
The Echocardiogram uses Ultrasound, and will inform Dr. Quiros of how well the muscle of the heart is pumping (ejection fraction), whether the valves are competent (regurgitation), and the sizes and volumes of the chambers. This test requires gel applied to a bare chest, as well as three ECG leads, and takes 20-30 minutes to complete.
We look forward to providing you with excellent Cardiology care at Southern Inyo Hospital!
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