Cardiopulmonary

This is a new system that screens for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The exam measures blood pressure in the arms and legs and gives a score to determine if the patient has PAD. This service is offered Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

A test that measures the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH and electrolytes in the blood. We are listing this as a new service because we now have a carbon monoxide monitor that can be run in conjunction with an ABG. This service is offered 7 days a week.

A test that measures the levels of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood. This can either be done invasively or noninvasively. This service is offered 7 days a week.

This exam is run in conjunction with a basic or pre- and post-pulmonary function test (PFT). We see this ordered for people undergoing chemotherapy or taking high-risk medications. This service is offered 7 days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM.

An ultrasound of the heart that shows overall cardiac and valvular function in a moving picture. This service is now offered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

This is another PFT exam that measures pulmonary mechanics. This service is offered 7 days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM.

A test that measures how well the lungs work. This test can tell if a patient may have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This exam may be ordered yearly after the initial diagnosis to assess worsening of the disease. This service is offered 7 days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Combines cardiac ultrasound with a stress test as a screening for coronary artery disease or to assess a worsening of the disease. These exams can either be done with a patient on a treadmill to achieve maximal heart rate or with Dobutamine if a patient is unable to walk on a treadmill. This service is offered on Monday and Friday.

An echocardiogram is a diagnostic procedure that uses echocardiography to assess the heart’s function. During the procedure, a transducer (like a microphone) sends out ultrasonic sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. When the transducer is placed on the chest at certain locations and angles, the ultrasonic sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissues, where the waves echo off of the heart structures. The transducer picks up the reflected waves and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the echoes into an image of the heart walls and valves.

A TEE is performed by inserting a probe with a transducer down the esophagus rather than placing the transducer on the chest. The TEE transducer works in the same manner as the one described above. By inserting the transducer in the esophagus, TEE provides a clearer image of the heart because the sound waves do not have to pass through skin, muscle or bone tissue. For example, obesity or pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD), may interfere with the ability to obtain adequate images of the heart when the transducer is placed on the chest wall.

Certain conditions of the heart, such as mitral valve disease, blood clots or masses inside the heart, dissection (tear) of the lining of the aorta (the artery that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body), and implanted prosthetic (artificial) heart valves are better visualized and assessed with TEE.

TEE may be used during surgery to assess the cardiac status of patients with a known cardiac disease who are undergoing noncardiac procedures and during heart surgeries, such as bypass surgery or valve repair or replacement, to evaluate the effects of surgical intervention to the heart.

See how it works at medmovie.com. At the site, you can choose from various Med Movie Media Libraries. Select "Cardiovascular Media Library" and then the topic "Transesophageal Echo."

Cardiopulmonary Services offers EKGs, 24- and 48-hour Holter monitors, 30-day event monitors, resting and exercise pulse oximetry monitoring, treadmills, smoking cessation education, and instruction on how to use MDIs. All of these services are available 7 days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM.