Diagnostic Services
The New Jersey Heart Institute at Lourdes is home to one of the region's most comprehensive and sophisticated cardiac testing facilities. Staffed by board-certified heart specialists and skilled medical technicians and equipped with the latest technologies, these laboratories enable NJHI staff to explore and analyze every aspect of your heart and to detect even the slightest irregularity. The following Glossary of Cardiac Testing Terms will help you understand the cardiac tests performed at the New Jersey Heart Institute at Lourdes.Stress Testing Laboratory
In the Stress Testing Laboratory, treadmills, stationary bicycles and medications are used to increase heart activity to help physicians determine whether coronary artery disease is present and to enable them to evaluate any arrhythmias that may be brought on by exertion. This kind of testing is also useful in determining the effectiveness of current medical treatment or prior surgical procedures and in assessing the safety of a patient's involvement in an exercise program.Nuclear Scanning Laboratory
The Nuclear Scanning Laboratory frequently works in conjunction with the exercise testing laboratory to provide increased accuracy in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. A small amount of radioactive material is injected, and the heart is scanned to determine whether blood is evenly distributed to all segments of the heart muscle. Scanning also helps physicians determine the strength of the heart by a technique that traces radioactive material as it passes through the chambers of the heart.Echocardiography Laboratory
The Echocardiography Laboratory contains sophisticated ultrasound equipment that enables the physician to assess the details of the anatomy of all heart structures, including the walls, chambers and valves. Using Doppler color flow techniques, the flow of blood through the heart can be evaluated, and a bnormal flow patterns can be identified. When an extremely high-resolution echocardiogram is indicated, echocardiography can be performed using a transesophageal probe. Echocardiography is also routinely performed in conjunction with cardiac stress testing.For more information about the New Jersey Heart Institute at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, please call 856-365-4072.
