State-of-the-art testing for the most appropriate care.

Understanding the nature and extent of your problem is the first step to making sure you’re getting the most appropriate, most effective treatment. We use today’s most advanced, state-of-the-art diagnostic testing methods, such as:

Echocardiography – Ultrasound identifies problems of the heart valves and muscle function. Our digital system provides higher-resolution images and faster diagnosis.

Stress testing, including nuclear – A noninvasive way to look for blocked arteries by stressing your heart with exercise or medications. Nuclear testing produces images of the heart’s structure and blood flow while under stress.

Noninvasive vascular testing – We use ultrasound to check for blocked arteries in other parts of the body, including the extremities.

Ankle-Brachial Index – This is a quick, noninvasive way to check for peripheral artery disease (PAD). The disease occurs when narrowed arteries reduce the blood flow to your limbs. This test compares the blood pressure measured at your ankle with the blood pressure measured at your arm. A low ankle-brachial index number can indicate narrowing or blockage of the arteries in your legs. You may have ankle-brachial index testing before and immediately after walking on a treadmill. An exercise ankle-brachial index test can assess the severity of the narrowed arteries during walking.

Heart monitoring – Portable monitoring to look for signs of irregular heart rhythms.

Catheterization & angiography – The gold standard in evaluating blocked arteries. A small, flexible tube helps X-rays to look for blocked arteries and can help measure pressures in the heart and blood vessels.

A proactive, interventional approach to your health.

To help ensure your best health, we take a more proactive approach than many cardiologists. This means we address problems early, especially things like cholesterol and high blood pressure, which can lead to more serious concerns later on. We use the same approach for arrhythmia and heart failure management.

Sometimes the most appropriate thing we can do is to intervene to take action on certain problems. With fellowship training and board certification in interventional procedures, we can perform various treatments to repair blockages, remove clots and restore your blood flow. We know, however, that interventions are not always the best treatments. Our advanced training and skill means we recommend and perform the procedures only when they are truly necessary.

Learn more about state-of-the-heart testing being done at Pacific Heart & Vascular. Call (209) 464-3615 in Stockton, or (209) 334-0651 in Lodi, or use our convenient Request an Appointment form.