Sutter Medical Center Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostic Services

If you’ve been feeling dizzy, short of breath, extremely tired and have experienced chest pain or a fluttering feeling in your chest, it’s time to get your heart checked out. At Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, doctors utilize non-invasive diagnostic procedures and advanced imaging technology to assess the strength and health of your heart.

As a first step, your doctor may order basic blood work tests to look for signs of a heart condition, such as high cholesterol or lipoprotein-a, which are risk factors for heart disease; C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation; and both A1C and blood sugar, two indicators of diabetes. Depending on your blood work, your doctor may refer you for additional testing.

Catheterization Labs

Procedures and tests performed in our cardiac catheterization lab include angiography, specialized cardiovascular imaging, stress tests and heart rhythm monitoring.

• Angiography — An angiogram can be used to diagnose heart disease, arrhythmias and other heart conditions. Different types of angiography tests include coronary, aortic, left heart ventricular and magnetic resonance.
• Cardiovascular Imaging — To view the heart, veins and arteries, doctors use tests such as a heart MRI, heart CT scan, echocardiogram, or intravascular ultrasound. Some imaging tests for the heart use a small amount of radioactive tracer, such as nuclear ventriculography and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT).
• Stress Tests — By comparing the electrical activity of the heart before, during, and after physical exercise, your doctor can determine how well the heart muscle is functioning during increased stress. Tests include an exercise or treadmill stress test, nuclear stress test and stress echocardiogram.
• Heart Rhythm Monitoring — An include electrocardiogram (EKG), holter monitor, loop recorder and syncope fainting tile table test can be used to diagnose irregular heart rhythms.

Electrophysiology Studies

Our electrophysiology lab is dedicated to advanced technological procedures that are used to study the heart's electrical function. Using an electrode catheter, lab technicians can diagnose arrhythmias and other heart abnormalities.

Electrophysiology Studies

Usually performed in our special electrophysiology lab by specially trained cardiologists and technologists, these procedures involve insertion of an electrode catheter into the heart through a vein, usually in the leg or neck. They can help diagnose abnormalities in the heart’s electrical system leading to irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias).

Laboratory Tests

Basic blood work can reveal a wealth of information about your heart. Depending on your doctor’s recommendations, our labs can test for a variety of things that can be helpful in diagnosing a heart condition. These may include high cholesterol or lipoprotein-a, which are risk factors for heart disease; C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation; and both A1C and blood sugar, two indicators of diabetes or prediabetes.

Stress Tests

These non-invasive tests help measure the amount of blood pumping through your heart during rest and exercise. We offer a variety of stress tests, including: exercise or treadmill stress test, nuclear stress test and stress echocardiogram.

Angiography

An angiogram is a relatively quick outpatient procedure used to diagnose heart disease, arrhythmias or other problems. The doctor uses a catheter, or thin tube, with an electrode at the tip, which he or she inserts through an artery or vein in the groin, arm or neck. Depending on the reason for the procedure, different types of angiography may be used: coronary, aortic, or left heart ventricular.

Imaging

Doctors use cardiovascular imaging techniques, either alone or with other procedures, when they want to see into the heart, veins or arteries and produce images noninvasively. Sutter care centers have a wide selection of imaging services. Some imaging tests for the heart use a small amount of radioactive tracer, such as nuclear ventriculography and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). Others use a magnetic field or radio waves, such as a heart MRI. Angiograms and heart CT scans use X-rays, while echocardiogram and intravascular ultrasound use sound waves.

Heart Rhythm Monitoring

To diagnose irregular heart rhythms, our doctors choose from a variety of methods that can noninvasively collect and record data for periods of time, ranging from a few hours to two years. These include electrocardiogram (EKG), holter monitor, or loop recorder.