Services
At San Antonio Heart Associates, we thoroughly realize and value the importance of your health and well-being. Our goal is to help patients to achieve and maintain optimal health through comprehensive and caring services. We are committed to providing comprehensive care with a compassionate touch. Below are some of the services we provide.
Cardiac Consultation
During your first visit the doctor will discuss your symptoms and concerns. He will also discuss your medical history and evaluate you for cardiac risk factors. Some of the risk factors are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and family history of heart disease. After your consultation he will determine the necessary testing for you and move forward with your treatment.
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
An EKG is a graphic produced by recording the electrical activity of the heart. It is used for the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias. It is also used to detect electrolyte disturbances and conduction abnormalities.
Cardiac Stress Test
A cardiac stress test is used to evaluate the blood flow to the heart during physical exercise compared to the blood flow at rest. This is done by walking on a treadmill while the doctor monitors your EKG. This test also reflects overall physical fitness.
Echo (Echocardiogram)
An echo is an ultrasound imaging test. It helps show the size of your heart and how well the heart muscle and valves are working. The test takes "moving pictures" of your heart with a transducer. The test is safe, with no side effects and is done in our office.
Holter and Event Monitoring
Holter and event monitoring are two ways to record your heartbeat away from the doctor's office. The holter records your heartbeat nonstop for 24 hours. The event monitor lets you record your irregular heartbeat as you feel it over a 30 day period. Both are used to evaluate different cardiac rhythms and symptoms.
Nuclear Stress Test
Like a cardiac stress test, nuclear stress tests evaluate the blood flow to the heart. A nuclear stress test is more thorough in the sense that it uses a safe radioactive "tracer" substance which, when injected into the body, emits signals or rays that can be detected by a scanning camera. A very small quantity of tracer is used for the study. Radiation exposure is comparable to other standard X-ray procedures. The test is done in our nuclear lab located at our downtown office.
Coronary CTA (computer tomography angiography)
A coronary cta is an examination that uses x-rays to visualize blood flow in arterial and venous vessels throughout the body. For this exam, x-ray contrast is injected into an arm vein and a powerful CT scanner takes multiple images in a rapid succession. The images produce a three-dimensional image of the coronary arteries.
Cardiac Catheterization
A cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic and occasionally therapeutic procedure that allows a comprehensive examination of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. A catheter (a long, thin flexible tube) is inserted into a blood vessel and guided to the heart. The doctor can then gather information about the coronary arteries and the structure and function of the heart.This provides the doctor with precise information about your particular heart condition, which allows more individualized treatment. This procedure is done in the hospital.
Coronary Stents
A stent is a small metal coil or mesh tube that is placed in a narrowed artery through a catheter to help improve blood flow to the heart. The stent permanently holds the passageway open and helps reduce the rate of restenosis, renarrowing of the artery. An overnight stay in the hospital may be required after stent placement.
Pacemaker Implants
A pacemaker is a small, lightweight, electronic device placed under the skin of your chest just below your collarbone. It helps regulate your heart rhythm. The pacemaker sends out electrical impulses that keep the heart beating at its proper speed. It will keep the heart contracting and pumping blood. A pacemaker is needed when there is a problem with the heart's electrical system.
Peripheral Vascular Angioplasty and Stents
Peripheral vascular angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure that can be used to dilate blocked peripheral arteries in the legs, such as the iliac, femoral, popliteal, and the tibioperoneal trunk or branches. A catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip is passed into the narrowed artery segment. The balloon is then inflated, compressing the plaque and dilating the artery so that blood can flow more easily. Then the balloon is deflated and the catheter is withdrawn. Often a stent is placed in the narrowed artery. There the stent expands, keeping the diseased artery open.
Peripheral Vascular Atherectomy
Peripheral vascular atherectomy is a procedure used to remove plaque from peripheral arteries in the legs. Plaque is shaved off by a rotating catheter and is stored in the catheter tip and is emptied after removing the catheter from the body. Balloon angioplasty or stenting may be used in addition to atherectomy as needed.
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