Researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) are developing and validating approaches for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in cardiovascular applications and scientific investigations. Their laboratory runs a dedicated cardiovascular MRI scanner in Building 10 of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a second scanner situated near the emergency room of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.
About 6 million Americans visit the emergency room each year complaining of chest pain, which may or may not be a sign they are experiencing a heart attack. NHLBI-led studies have found that advanced MRI technology can detect heart attacks in people with chest pain more rapidly and accurately than traditional methods.
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This work promises to lay the foundation for what may be a dramatic change in how heart attacks are diagnosed. Because patients will receive treatment more quickly, researchers say cardiac MRIs might save costs as well as lives.
The information kit had included a card spelling out the warning signs of a heart attack. She figured it was good information to have on hand. She cut it out and placed it over a commercial magnet that was already on the fridge, taping over the front to protect it. When they replaced their refrigerator, she'd made sure to transfer the magnet to the new one.
That evening, a cardiac catheterization showed that Danny had a 100% blockage in his right coronary artery. The doctor reopened the vessel with a balloon and stented the artery to restore blood flow. Two days later, Danny went home.
"The trauma of seeing my husband basically die was the hardest part," she said. "I can still hear all the sounds and noises. The thing I remember most is that my first thought was how I would have to go home and tell my kids that their dad died."
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This imaging test can help doctors find heart diseases or problems with the heart or blood vessels supplying blood to the heart or the rest of the body. This test may also be used to check the results of coronary artery bypass grafting or to follow up on abnormal findings from earlier chest X-rays. You may go to a medical imaging facility or a hospital for a cardiac CT scan. The scan itself usually takes only about 15 minutes. However, it can take more than an hour to prepare for the scan, including time to take medicines such as beta blockers to slow your heart rate or nitroglycerin to help dilate your arteries. Before the test, a healthcare provider will inject a contrast dye, often iodine-based, into a vein in your arm. This contrast dye highlights your blood vessels and creates clearer pictures. You may feel some discomfort from the needle or, after the contrast dye is injected, you may feel a warm flush briefly throughout your body or have a temporary metallic taste in your mouth.
The CT scanner is a large, tunnel-like machine that has a table. You will lie still on the table, and the table will slide into the scanner. Talk to your doctor if you are uncomfortable in tight or closed spaces to see if you need medicine to help you relax during the test. During the scan, the technician will monitor your heart rate with an electrocardiogram (EKG). You will hear soft buzzing, clicking, or whirring sounds when you are inside the scanner and the scanner is taking pictures. You will be able to hear from and talk to the technician performing the test while you are inside the scanner. The technician may ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds during the test.
Cardiac CT scans have some risks. In rare cases, the contrast dye may cause damage to the kidneys, particularly in people who have known chronic kidney problems. Your doctor or the imaging center may do a blood test to check your kidney function before the exam. In rare instances, some people may have an allergic reaction to the contrast dye. If you have a known allergy, you may still be able to receive contrast if you receive medicine ahead of time. There is a very slight risk of cancer, particularly in people younger than 40 years old who undergo multiple CT scans, because the test uses radiation.
A coronary calcium scan is a CT scan of your heart that measures the amount of calcium in the walls of your coronary arteries. Buildup of calcium, or calcifications, are a sign of atherosclerosis or coronary heart disease.
A coronary calcium scan may be done in a medical imaging facility or hospital. The test does not use contrast dye and will take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. A coronary calcium scan uses a special scanner such as an electron beam CT or a multidetector CT (MDCT) machine. An MDCT machine is a very fast CT scanner that makes high-quality pictures of the beating heart. A coronary calcium scan will determine a score that reflects the amount of calcium found in your coronary arteries, often referred to as an Agatston score. A score of 0 is normal. In general, the higher your score, the more likely you are to have coronary heart disease. If your score is high, your doctor may recommend more tests.
A coronary calcium scan has few risks. There is a very slight risk of cancer, particularly in people younger than 40 years old who undergo multiple CT scans. However, the amount of radiation from one test is similar to the amount of radiation you are naturally exposed to over one year. Talk to your doctor and the technicians performing the test about whether you are or could be pregnant.
A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a painless, noninvasive imaging test that uses radio waves, magnets, and a computer to create detailed pictures of your heart. No ionizing radiation is used in this type of imaging. This test can provide information on the type and seriousness of heart disease to help your doctor decide the best way to treat your condition.
Cardiac MRI can help your doctor diagnose heart diseases or problems with the blood vessels. Cardiac MRI can provide an accurate look at the heart muscle, heart chamber sizes and function, and connecting blood vessels. It is an excellent tool to look for scarring of the heart muscle like you might see in a heart attack, or inflammation of the heart as you might see with heart infection. Cardiac MRI may be performed as a resting study or used in combination with a stress medicine or exercise to look for low blood flow to the heart muscle. Cardiac MRI is also an excellent tool for evaluating tumors or clots in the heart and to help your healthcare provider monitor congenital heart disease or problems with your heart valves or aorta. Cardiac MRI may be used when images from other studies like an echocardiogram are not clear. It can also help clarify results from other imaging tests such as chest X-rays and chest CT scans.
Cardiac MRI has few risks. In very rare cases, the contrast dye may cause an allergic-type reaction. Talk to your doctor and the technicians performing the test if you are or could be pregnant or are breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding and need to receive MRI contrast, you may be instructed to discard your breastmilk for up to 2 days after the MRI study.
Carotid ultrasound is a painless imaging test that uses high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of the inside of your carotid arteries. Your carotid arteries are the major blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to your brain. Carotid ultrasound can help detect plaque buildup in one or both of your carotid arteries. It can also see whether the buildup is blocking blood flow to the brain. If combined with Doppler ultrasound, this test can also show how blood is moving through your arteries.
You will lie on your back on an exam table for your test. The ultrasound technician will put gel on your neck where your carotid arteries are located. The gel helps the sound waves reach your arteries. The technician will move the transducer against different areas on your neck. The transducer will detect the sound waves after they have bounced off your artery walls and blood cells. A computer will use the sound waves to create and record pictures of the inside of your carotid arteries and to show how blood is flowing in your carotid arteries. Test results will help your doctor plan treatment to remove or stabilize plaque and help prevent a stroke.
A nuclear heart scan is an imaging test that uses special cameras and a radioactive substance called a tracer to create pictures of your heart. This imaging test can detect if blood is not flowing to parts of the heart and can diagnose coronary heart disease. It also can check for damaged or dead heart muscle tissue, possibly from a previous heart attack, and assess how well your heart pumps blood to your body.
You may go to a medical imaging facility or a hospital for a nuclear heart scan. Your healthcare team will monitor your heart during this test with an electrocardiogram (EKG). They will take two sets of pictures, each taking 15 to 30 minutes. The first set of pictures is taken right after an exercise or medicine stress test because some problems happen only when the heart is working hard or beating fast. Shortly after the stress test, the healthcare provider will inject the tracer into a vein in your arm. You may bruise at the injection site. You will lie still on a table that slides through a tunnel-like machine as the first set of pictures is taken. The second set of pictures will be taken on either the same day or the next day after your heartbeat has returned to normal. 152ee80cbc
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