1. By: Taquia Herbert Diagnostic Procedures of the Cardiovascular System

2. What is the Cardiovascular system? The cardiovascular system maintains distribution of the blood throughout the body and is composed of the heart, blood vessels, arteries, capillaries, and veins.

3. Diagnostic Procedures Diagnostic Procedures are usually completed with the risk of cardiac malfunction, or pending the occurrence of a malfunction. Three of these procedures are: Doppler ultrasound, Holter Monitor, and stress testing.

4. Doppler Ultrasound Doppler Ultrasound test uses reflected sound waves to evaluate blood as it flows through a blood vessel. It helps doctors evaluate blood flow through the major arteries and veins .It can show blocked or reduced blood flow in the major arteries It also can reveal blood clots in leg veins that could break loose and block blood flow to the lungs .During pregnancy, Doppler ultrasound may be used to look at blood flow in an unborn baby to check the health of the fetus. During Doppler ultrasound, a handheld instrument (transducer) is passed lightly over the skin above a blood vessel. The transducer sends and receives sound waves that are amplified through a microphone. The sound waves bounce off solid objects, including blood cells. The movement of blood cells causes a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves (called the Doppler effect). If there is no blood flow, the pitch does not change.

5. Above the Transducer(the hand help part that monitors) on the Doppler machine is being used to check for clogged arteries and blood vessels in the arm!

6. Holter Monitor A Holter monitor is a machine that continuously records the heart's rhythms. The monitor is usually worn for 24 - 48 hours during normal activity. Electrodes (small conducting patches) are stuck onto your chest and attached to a small recording monitor. You carry the Holter monitor in a pocket or small pouch worn around your neck or waist. The monitor is battery operated. While you wear the monitor, it records your heart's electrical activity. You should keep a diary of what activities you do while wearing the monitor. After 24 - 48 hours, you return the monitor to your doctor's office. The doctor will look at the records and see if there have been any irregular heart rhythms.

7. The Holter Monitor is seen to the left, and being used on a man in the picture above!

8. Stress Testing A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart

9. Stress Testing Cont. The most common Stress Test procedures are as follows: The patient is hooked up to equipment to monitor the heart. The patient then walks slowly in place on a treadmill. Then the speed is increased for a faster pace and the treadmill is tilted to produce the effect of going up a small hill. The patient may be asked to breathe into a tube for a couple of minutes. Afterwards the patient will sit or lie down to have their heart and blood pressure checked.

10. Other Diagnostic Procedures Angiography cardiac scan, echocardiography, venography, cardiac catheterization, and electrocardiography (ECG, EKG)