With approximately 84 million Americans suffering from some form of cardiovascular disease, heart disease has been and continues to be at the top of the list of the country’s most serious health crises. As the disease claims approximately 2,200 people per day, many physicians are stressing preventive care as successful method for taking action. In fact, many venerated medical programs such as Mayo Clinic and Weill Cornell Medicine have entire programs dedicated to preventive cardiology. There ... [Read More]
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Precautions of a Nuclear Stress Test
Radioactive dye is an essential component of a nuclear stress test, as it’s used to produce vivid images of your heart and your blood flow as the heart is pumping. Radioactive dye is injected into the body to capture images of internal structures and to look for abnormalities. The radioactive nature of the dye is the main reason why some patients feel uneasy about undergoing the procedure. However, the test is primarily safe, and there are rarely any associated complications. Why Should I ... [Read More]
WHAT IS A HOLTER MONITOR – AND WHY WOULD I NEED ONE?
It may sound like a top-secret gadget employed by the CIA or MI-6, but in fact, a Holter monitor is just a battery-operated portable device that continuously measures and records your heart’s activity for 24 to 48 hours or longer. It’s the size of a small camera and has wires with electrodes that attach to your chest, so it can record your ECG (electrocardiography) as you go about your daily business. You may be wondering why anyone – including you – would want or need to wear a Holter ... [Read More]
What is a Heart Murmur?
Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body because it does a very important job: pump blood through your body. As blood pumps in and out of the heart, a sound can be detected made up of two beats. Sometimes, another sound can interrupt the normal beating of the heart. This is called a heart murmur. A heart murmur is a different than a heart beat, typically sounding similar to a “whooshing” noise. A doctor can detect a heart murmur through a stethoscope. Although it may sound ... [Read More]
Diagnosing Structural Problems in The Heart: Echocardiograms and Your Heart Valves
Could You Have Heart Disease, and Not Know About It? If you have been experiencing fatigue, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, leg cramping, or chest pain/tightness, you could have a heart condition and should see your doctor for evaluation. About 60 million people, or 20 to 25 percent of adults in the United States, suffer from structural heart defects. These heart defects include diseases of the heart valves (valvular). What Is Structural Heart Valve Disease (SHD)? Heart valves ... [Read More]
