Cardiovascular Testing
SOMC Cardiovascular Testing is a non-invasive cardiac and vascular diagnostic laboratory.
The Cardiovascular Laboratory provides the following tests: regular stress testing, stress echocardiograms, dobutamine cardiolite, cardiolite treadmill, adenosine cardiolite, lexiscan cardiolite, dobutamine stress echocardiograms, echocardiograms, carotid ultrasound, venous ultrasound, arterial ultrasound, arterial non-invasive testing including arterial segmental pressures and doppler waveforms, holters monitors, event recorders, TEEs and tilt table testing.
Each order is assessed for appropriate indications and appropriate testing. These tests are provided to inpatients including special care units, obstetrics, dialysis, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, and patients from the inpatient rehabilitation unit. Echocardiograms are completed for any patient 12 (twelve) years or older. Once a month, a Pediatric Cardiologists and an employee from a Pediatric hospital trained and educated in obtaining EKGs for children hold a clinic for pediatric patients. A cardiac sonographer attends the clinic every other month to complete echocardiograms for the pediatric patient.
Patients are transported to the department for stress tests, tilt table testing, TEEs, dobutamine stress echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms, and ultrasound tests. An RN completes tilt table testing with a physician, gives moderate sedation for the TEEs, and operates the IV pumps for pharmacological stress tests. Inpatients may be tested at the bed side for ultrasound testing. All patients are assessed before completing the test including the functional capacity to participate with treadmill testing. The tests are provided for outpatients.
Services are provided Monday through Friday 5:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. with an on-call system during the hours the department is closed. The goal of the department is to complete all inpatients within 24 hours of time the test was ordered and 48 hours for out patients, unless the ordering physician designates a date for test completion. The Cardiovascular Testing staff consists of the following mix of medical personnel: RN, LPNs, sonographers, nursing assistants, and clerical personnel. All RNs who are sonographers and sonographers are encouraged to obtain an ultrasound registry.
All RNs and LPNs are licensed in the State of Ohio. Protocols and procedure guidelines are obtained and utilized from American Ultrasound in Medicine, Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, American Society of Echocardiography, Society of Vascular Ultrasound, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Society, Intersocietal Commission of Accrediation of Echocardiography Labs, and Intersocietal Commission of Accrediation of Vascular Labs.
We do the following tests:
- Adenosine Cardiolite Stress Test (Non-Exercise Cardiolite Stress Test or Pharmacological Stress Test)
- Arterial Duplex
- Arterial Evaluation
- Cardiac Stress Test or Regular Stress Test
- Cardiolite Stress Test (Myocardial Perfusion)
- Carotid Duplex
- Dobutamine Cardiolite Stress Test
- Dobutamine Echocardiogram Stress Test
- Echocardiogram
- Event Monitoring
- Holter Monitoring
- Pacemaker Check Clinic
- Pediatric Cardiology Clinic
- Stress Echocardiogram
- Transesophageal Echocardiogram
- Venous Duplex
