Cardiac Tests

An ECG (electrocardiogram) is a record of the electrical activity of the heart. It is used to measure the rate and regularity of the heart, and normally takes 5 minutes.

An echo is an ultrasound scan of the heart. The test is used to acquire images of the heart, to identify if the heart is pumping effectively, if there’s a valve abnormality, or if there’s any previous damage to the heart.

This is a longer-term ECG monitor which is attached to the patient that continuously monitors the heart rhythm. It records the ECG throughout, and will flag specific heart rhythms when the button is pressed to activate the monitor, and if the patient experiences symptoms. Because it has a memory function, it will also record what the heart was doing just before the button is pressed.

Blood pressure monitoring involves continuously recording blood pressure over a 24 hour period. An inflatable cuff is worn on the upper arm and connected to a monitoring recording device. The cuff will inflate and deflate at regular intervals, recording your blood pressure.

An exercise stress test is used to assess the heart’s response to exercise in a supervised environment. The test involves exercising on a treadmill at increasing levels of difficulty, while the heart rate, blood pressure and ECG are continually monitored. The test usually takes 20 – 30 minutes. We advise you to wear comfortable shoes for such a test, to bring a list of your current medications and not to drink coffee beforehand.