When you’re told that you need to get a heart test, the first question on your mind might be. Blood test or heart test? While they sound similar, there are critical differences between the two tests and how they can help determine whether or not you have heart disease.
Read on to learn about blood tests and heart tests and which one you should ask your doctor about next time your health care provider orders an EKG.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
The heart, which beats between 60 and 100 times a minute, relies on electrical signals to keep it pumping. An ECG measures these signals. Patients can get their hearts checked with an ECG at labs like Chughtai Lab in Lahore and receive an interpretation from their doctor over WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, or email.
Doctors can even diagnose whether someone’s had a heart attack with an ECG by looking for specific indicators.
Chest X-Ray
If you’re concerned about a heart condition, your doctor may run a chest X-ray. The procedure allows your doctor to see if there are abnormalities in the lungs, heart, or bones. It also provides information about how well your lungs function and helps detect fluid in your lungs (called pulmonary edema).
If you’re overweight and smoke, your doctor may recommend a chest X-ray to screen for lung cancer.
Holter Monitor
A Holter monitor measures your heart’s electrical activity through your body’s natural electrical field. It’s similar to an electrocardiogram (ECG), except a Holter monitor records twenty-four hours of your heart rhythm instead of three minutes like an ECG. May order this type of test to detect atrial fibrillation and arrhythmias.
Cardiac MRI
An MRI of your heart will help identify any structural anomalies, such as an enlarged ventricle, and provide a clear picture of your overall heart health. Doctors use a cardiac MRI to detect coronary artery disease and arterial disease.
If you’re experiencing symptoms, have a family history of heart disease, or if you’ve suffered from a recent heart attack (or another significant event), ask your doctor about getting an MRI of your heart.
The results will give you and your doctor confidence in identifying areas needing improvement. Find out if that’s right for you! Online Lab Test in Pakistan offers some great blood tests that can do at home order an online lab test today!
Stress Test
This test involves hooking you up to an EKG machine, where your heart rate and rhythm are tracked while you run on a treadmill. It may reveal abnormal rhythms and an irregular heartbeat, indicating coronary artery disease.
May also use this type of testing to monitor cardiac activity in those recovering from a heart attack. The test takes 15-20 minutes and costs minimum 200. Get health lab online reports of Chughtai Lab Lahore quickly.
Cardiac CT scan
If you have symptoms of a heart problem, a cardiac CT scan may be recommended by your doctor. These tests, which take pictures of blood vessels in your heart and surrounding area, can give your doctor a better understanding of how to diagnose best and treat you.
The two types of cardiac CT scans are perfusion (which measures blood flow) and myocardial (which measures tissue). Both are done while you’re on a treadmill with an intravenous line in your arm so that doctors can compare images taken at different levels of exercise to determine if there is a blockage.
If the blockage is detected through these scans, doctors might do more invasive procedures like angiograms.
