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Advanced Diagnostic Tests

UF Health Flagler Hospital's cardiac care uses state-of-the-art advanced cardiovascular diagnostic tests to learn more about your heart’s health.

If you are experiencing chest pain, chest pressure, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, or weakness, these symptoms may indicate heart or blood vessel issues.

Advanced diagnostic tests provide your care team with vital insights including important details about your heart’s chambers, valves, electrical activity, and how your heart’s muscle is functioning. We learn if there are tumors or abnormalities. When we study the results, we get a more complete picture about how to provide treatment.

Diagnostic tests we perform include:

  • Coronary angiogram - A coronary angiogram records pictures of the heart. To prepare for this diagnostic test, dye is injected into one of your veins to highlight any possible blockages in your arteries. This test enables cardiologists to determine if there are signs of coronary artery disease.

  • Echocardiogram - An echocardiogram uses sound waves (ultrasound) to examine tissues and organs inside the chest. Echoes from these sound waves form a picture of the shape and position of the heart.

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - An electrocardiogram (abbreviated EKG or ECG) tests electrical activity of the heartbeat. With each beat, an electrical impulse travels through the heart and causes the muscle to pump blood. The test is administered to determine the timing of the top and lower chambers of the heart.

  • Holter monitor - A Holter monitor is a portable electrocardiogram that records the electrical activity of the heart over a span of 24 hours or longer. It enables a cardiologist to evaluate your heart when you are away from the doctor’s office.

  • Stress test - A stress test determines how your heart works during physical activity. It makes your heart pump harder and faster to determine if there are problems with the blood flow within your heart.

  • Tilt table test - A tilt table test is used to determine the cause of fainting spells. The doctor will ask you to lie on a bed in a room called an electrophysiology lab, or EP. You will be tilted at 30- and 60-degree angles while your blood press, electrical impulses in your heart, and oxygen levels are monitored.

  • Nuclear stress test - In order to determine the blood flow to your heart, a doctor may administer a nuclear stress test, which uses a small amount of radioactive material, also called a tracer, to create pictures viewed on an imaging machine. The test measures the blood flow while you are resting and during activity. It shows areas of poor blood flow, or possible damage that has occurred in your heart.

  • MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) - An MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging device, uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside your body. A doctor will administer MRI scans to diagnose a variety of conditions.