The Cardiology Department at Holy Name Hospital provides a wide range of sophisticated testing and procedures, including:
Cardiac PET/CT stress testing: Holy Name Hospital is the first hospital in New Jersey to utilize PET technology (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) to determine the presence and extent of heart disease. This new technology offers the next generation in stress testing.
Cardiac PET/CT testing is the newest advancement in the field of molecular imaging. During cardiac PET/CT stress testing, patients lie down on a table rather than exercising on a treadmill.
It is an advanced method of assessing the blood flow to the heart. The technique is considered more accurate than conventional stress heart imaging. It is particularly useful for women and for people who are obese or have diabetes.
Cardiac PET/CT stress testing helps cardiologists detect heart disease earlier, so patients can receive the most appropriate course of treatment.
Cardiac PET/CT stress testing is used at premier institutions around the world in the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Holy Name was the first hospital in New Jersey to introduce this type of
stress testing.
If you think you may be a candidate for Cardiac PET/CT stress testing, please speak to your physician about your options. Patients who require Cardiac PET/CT stress testing must obtain a prescription from their physician.
64-Slice CT Angiography: In just five seconds, or five beats of your heart, CT angiography can produce three-dimensional images of the heart so clear and precise, they can help "see" and diagnose heart blockages. The pictures are so concise and vivid, even the smallest arteries are clearly visible.
64-slice CT technology is considered the future of heart imaging. It dramatically improves a physician's ability to safely determine (or rule out) the presence of coronary artery disease in low risk patients.
The technology can be used to detect cardiac abnormalities even when symptoms aren’t present. It also may be used in conjunction with nuclear stress testing such as SPECT or PET.
Coronary CT angiography is available at premier healthcare institutions, including Holy Name Hospital. In fact, Holy Name is the first hospital in New Jersey to offer both cardiac PET/CT stress testing and coronary CT angiography.
If you think you may be a candidate for 64-Slice CT Angiography, please speak to your physician about your options. Patients who require 64-Slice CT Angiography must obtain a prescription from their physician.
Other services include:
- Pacemaker implantations: in which a small device is surgically placed in the patient's chest to stabilize irregular or slow heartbeats.
- Electrocardiography (ECG): This non-invasive test records electrical impulses reflecting the heart muscle's contractions or heart rate and rhythm.
- Echocardiography: to produce an image of the heart, its valves and blood vessels, and assess their function through the chest wall.
- Transesophageal echocardiography: Instead of depicting the heart through the chest wall as in standard echocardiography, a fiber-optic scope is passed into the esophagus to obtain this information from the inside.
- Stress Testing: While the patient walks on a tread-mill at various grades and speeds, the electrical activity of the heart is measured to evaluate chest pain and the level of cardiac functioning. Patients who cannot walk on a tread-mill may be given medication to simulate the effects of exercise (non-stress test).
- Stress Echocardiography: This exam employs echocardiography before and after a regular stress test to assess the heart's functioning capacity.
- Thallium stress testing: A radioisotope is injected into the patient, allowing visualization of the heart during stress testing.