Cardiology Services

Potomac Valley Hospital Cardiology Services & Cardiac Rehabilitation..

Potomac Valley Hospital Cardiology Department offers in and out-patient testing Monday-Friday 7:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Testing services include: EKG, Echocardiogram, Carotid Ultrasound, 24 hour Holter monitor, EEG, Ambulatory Blood Pressure monitor, 30 day Event monitor, Segmental Doppler study, Cardiolite Stress, and Persantine Stress test.

In addition to these services the Cardiology Department provides a Cardiac Rehab program Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Cardiac Rehab is a monitored exercise program that includes education and counseling for a healthy lifestyle. Rehab helps the patients who have recently had a heart attack, heart surgery, or angioplasty and stent to recover faster, return to full, productive living, and helps maintain optimal health.

The purpose of the Cardiology Department is to inform and educate the patient, and to perform diagnostic procedures/testing as ordered by the physicians. The main goal is to enable the patient and their physician to make wise decisions concerning their future health. As health professionals we are concerned with the aid in diagnosis and prevention of disease and in the promotion of health.

ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG OR EKG): RECORDS THE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF YOUR HEART.

ECHOCARDIOGRAM: A TEST THAT USES ULTRASOUND TO EXAMINE YOUR HEART.

CAROTID ULTRASOUND: A TEST THAT USES ULTRASOUND WAVES TO EVALUATE THE BLOOD FLOW OF THE CAROTID ARTERIES.

ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMS(EEG) A GRAPHIC RECORD OF THE BRAIN WAVES.

HOLTER MONITORING: A CONTINUOUS RECORDING OF YOUR HEART’S ECG, USUALLY FOR 24 HOURS WHILE YOU GO ABOUT YOUR NORMAL DAILY ACTIVITIES.

EVENT MONITORING: A METHOD OF RECORDING THE HEART RHYTHM DURING SYMPTOMS OR AN “EVENT”. YOU CARRY A RECORDER OVER A PERIOD OF WEEKS WHILE YOU GO ABOUT YOUR USUAL DAILY ACTIVITIES.

CARDIAC REHABILITATION: THESE SERVICES ARE DESIGNED TO HELP PATIENTS WITH HEART DISEASE RECOVER FASTER AND RETURN TO FULL AND PRODUCTIVE LIVES. CARDIAC REHAB INCLUDES EXERCISE, EDUCATION, COUNSELING, AND LEARNING WAYS TO LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE.

EXERCISE STRESS TEST: ALLOWS DOCTORS TO LEARN HOW WELL YOUR HEART FUNCTIONS WHEN IT IS MADE TO WORK HARDER. THIS TEST CAN DETECT HEART PROBLEMS THAT MAY NOT BE APPARENT AT REST. YOUR ECG IS MONITORED WHILE YOU WALK ON A TREADMILL OR PEDAL A STATIONARY BIKE. A PHYSICIAN IS PRESENT FOR THIS TEST.

PHARMACEUTICAL CARDIOLITE STRESS TEST: A STRESS TEST FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO WALK A TREADMILL OR PEDAL A BIKE. A MEDICATION IS GIVEN IV TO DILATE THE CORONARY ARTERIES, SIMILAR TO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN DURING VIGOROUS EXERCISE. YOUR ECG AND BP ARE MONITORED. ALSO CARDIOLITE*( A RADIONUCLEAR ISOTOPE) IS INJECTED. A PHYSICIAN IS PRESENT DURING THE TEST, AND A SPECIAL CAMERA IS USED TO TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR HEART.

SEGMENTAL DOPPLER STUDY: A TEST THAT EVALUATES THE ARTERIAL BLOOD FLOW OF THE LEGS USING BLOOD PRESSURE CUFFS AND DOPPLER ULTRASOUND.