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A to Z of UHSFT

 
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Diagnosis and treatment

The unit is concerned with diagnosis rather than treatment. Tests carried out at the unit include:

Patient having Echo scan performed by registrarEchocardiogram

This test is usually done to look at the inside structure of the heart. A probe is placed on your chest and a pulse of high-frequency sound is passed through the skin – similar to an ultrasound scan.

The probe picks up the echoes reflected from various parts of the heart and shows them as an echocardiogram, a picture on the screen.

Different types of echocardiogram include:

  • Stress echocardiogram when your heart is made to beat faster by exercise or medication to give a picture of the heart when it is under stress. Patients walk on a treadmill with an ECG connected and their blood pressure is monitored throughout the entire test. The treadmill will increase in speed and gradient as the exercise progresses and the patient will be asked to do as much as he or she can while being assessed.
  • Trans-thoracic echocardiogram which takes a picture of the heart from the outside the chest.
  • Trans-oesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) where the probe is placed inside the oesophagus or stomach to obtain specialised images of the heart.

Patient having ECG performed by cardiac physiologistECG (electrocardiogram)

An ECG records the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart.

Small patches called electrodes are placed on your arms, legs and chest. These are connected to a recording machine which picks up the electrical signals produced by each heart beat. The beats are recorded onto paper.

The test can show problems with your heart rhythm, but you are likely to have other tests as well as an ECG.

Different types of ECG test include:

  • 24 or 48-hour recording of your heart. To help diagnose symptoms such as palpitations a small monitor will be attached to your chest to continuously record your heart beat.

Blood pressure

The unit can also monitor your blood pressure over a 24-hour period via a device attached to your body. It takes a reading every half and hour and compiles an average blood pressure over the time period, to give doctors a more accurate picture of your health.