Non-Invasive Testing for Heart Health
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Karen Uhrich and Dr. Neil Clark are members of the
Heart Center team, which provides non-invasive
screenings to patients who may be experiencing signs
of a potentially serious heart problem. |
Heart disease is known as the “Silent Killer,” often because we don’t know we have it. The symptoms can be quite obvious or very vague.
As a part of determining your cardiac health, The Heart Center at Lancaster General provides advanced diagnostic testing to give you and your doctor the information you need to make informed decisions.
The array of tests offered at Lancaster General are non-invasive, and allow our specialized team of experts the opportunity to see how your heart is working when at rest and during physical activity.
The electrical activity of your heart can be analyzed and the size and motions of your heart can be recorded. Looking at the heart this way will help us determine if heart disease is present.
“These tests are outpatient procedures. The results are interpreted by our cardiologists, and relayed to the patient in a matter of days,” says James O’Connor, Senior Director of Cardiovascular Services at Lancaster General.
“We utilize the very latest technology in evaluating potential problems with the heart,” James adds. “For example, the department has four nuclear cameras, along with treadmills, for the evaluation of potential causes for chest pain. Our 3-D echocardiography ultrasound machines help diagnose heart-structure abnormalities.”
Specifically, The Heart Center provides these non-invasive screening tests:
Electrocardiogram (ECG)—This machine painlessly records the “electrical” activity of the heart, including the timing and duration of each phase of the heartbeat.
Holter Monitoring—If you feel your heart “skips a beat” or “flutters,” and your ECG was normal, your physician may order you to wear a holter monitor. A Holter records the activity of your heart continuously for 12 or 24 hours. The machine is lightweight and looks like a flat cell phone with leads attached to your chest.
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Living a heart healthy lifestyle
Balancing a healthy diet, physical
exercise and stress management
are essential ways to maintain
a healthy heart.
Here are four simple ways that
Lancaster General can help you
accomplish those goals and
strategies to make those
lifestyle changes permanent.
Thousands of Lancaster County residents have already discovered a fun way to stay active through the free “Lighten Up Lancaster County” program, where participants track their daily activity by seeing how far along a well-known trail they would’ve walked. Click here for information and to register.
Learn new recipes and strategies to make family favorites healthier with Lancaster General’s “Lighter Side of Lancaster” and “Cooking Healthy, Latino Style!” cookbooks. Click here to download the books, or call (800) 341-2121 for your free copy.
You can order a free Women’s Heart Healthy Kit, featuring valuable heart information and healthy living suggestions, by visiting us online and completing a brief request form. Click here.
Quitting smoking is another way to improve your heart health. To find out more about programs that Lancaster General offers, click here. |
Echocardiography— Using an ultrasound machine, a hand-held device is placed on the chest that uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of the heart’s size, structure and motion. Within a period of approximately 30 minutes, this device can detect murmurs and valvular disorders.
Exercise Stress Test—Electrodes are attached to the patient’s chest, enabling a monitor to record heart function as the patient walks. By increasing the speed and incline on a treadmill the heart muscle is challenged. For individuals who cannot walk or move well, a drug may be used for this same reason. The purpose of this test is to determine what areas of the heart may not be functioning well when working harder.
The Lancaster General Hospital Noninvasive Cardiology department is fully accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL)
and the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL).
“We perform about 15,000 echocardiograms, 3,500 stress tests, and 75,000 electrocardiograms per year,” James says. “All of our physicians and technologists are highly trained and are credentialed in their respective fields.
Putting the Patient First
The Heart Center staff combines impressive expertise, focusing on care of the patient, while emphasizing cardiac education, prevention and early-stage treatment. “We put our patients first. We do everything possible to accommodate them,” says Karen Uhrich, Manager, Cardiology/Non-Invasive and Heart Station at Lancaster General.
“The Heart Center is a facility which allows patients to get tests done in one place,” she says. “We have a staff of trained nurses and technicians who make sure our patients are comfortable, secure, and safe when they are with us.”
“The non-invasive testing we perform gives us a very accurate picture in diagnosing heart disease early on. This enables us to initiate treatment that will directly and effectively address
cardiac issues,” says Neil Clark, MD, Medical Director, Non-Invasive Cardiology at Lancaster General.
“The combination of experience and technology that we have at the Heart Center enables us to provide the best care available.” Dr. Clark says.
Talk to your physician to find out if non-invasive heart screening is right for you. You may also call our physician referral line at (800) 341-2121.
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