A variety of cardiac monitoring procedures are used to determine the cause of unexplained chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or rapid, irregular heartbeats. These tests evaluate the heart's electrical activity, will indicate the thickness of the walls of the heart chambers, help determine how well medications are working, and provide other important data on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Cardiac monitoring systems include:

EKG
An EKG is a simple test that provides a tracing of your heart's electrical activity.

Holter Monitor
A Holter Monitor monitors your heart's electrical activity for a period of up to two weeks. The information from the monitor is then scanned and given to your physician.

Graded Exercise Test
Often referred to as a Treadmill Test, this tests how well your heart can tolerate exercise. This test is performed with your physician present so he or she can best explain the results of the test to you.

Nuclear Graded Exercise Test
Also called a “myoview” study or test. This is a combined graded exercise test and nuclear study. The object of this test is to see how well you heart muscle functions during exercise and to see if there is adequate circulation to the heart at rest and at peak exercise.

Echo Lab
The Echo Lab, part of Cardiology Services, also performs several exams.

Regular Echo
This is an ultrasound test of the heart. By using sound waves, we can image the heart and look at heart motion as well as determine how all the heart valves are working.

To find out more on how your heart works, check out "The Heart: An On-line Exploration" at sln.fi.edu/biosci/heart.html.

Trans Esophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
This is a specialized procedure that allows the physician to see the heart chambers very clearly. A flexible tube (probe) with a transducer at its tip is used. The probe is guided down the patient’s throat and into their esophagus (food pipe), allowing for more detailed pictures because the probe is closer to the patient’s heart.

Stress Echocardiography
A specialized graded exercise test that also includes taking echo images of the heart before and after exercise.

Computed Tomography
Computed tomography (CT) is an X-ray procedure that uses a computer to produce a detailed, cross-sectional image of the heart. White Plains Hospital offers the newest cardiovascular imaging technology with 64-slice computed tomography that produces a rapid and undistorted image. This advanced technology provides physicians with a three-dimensional view of the anatomical structure of the heart, offering, in some cases, an alternative to cardiac catheterization.