Diagnose Coronary Artery Disease

Diagnose coronary artery disease is generally performed with the use of an electrical device known as electrocardiogram or ECG. The device records all the electrical activities of the heart in the hope of tracking any sign of the disease. Although there are some cases where the ECG device cannot accurately detect coronary artery disease, another method of testing is adopted; the treadmill test. The patient is set to run on the treadmill and device such as Echocardogram and Angiogram may be used to track the heart function while the patient is working out.

This method of testing although somewhat accurate is only applicable if the patient can perform this stress test. In cases where the patient is unfit for treadmill stress test like this, a medical solution can be injected into the body to simulate stress on the heart. To visualize the heart during stress, physician typically uses a nuclear camera, CT scan or ultrasound as the imaging device.

Doctors may prescribe medicines to treat angina if the patient is diagnosed with coronary artery disease. As angina is a condition where the blood supply cannot keep up with the oxygen demand of the heart due to the partially blocked or narrowed coronary artery, the medication prescribed works by reducing the heart demand for oxygen to compensate the reduced blood supply. The patient may be required to undergo balloon angioplasty procedure if the medication failed to relief angina condition such as when there is a significant narrowing of the coronary artery.

Balloon angioplasty is a very common procedure that can get rid of coronary artery disease by inflating a tiny balloon on the partially blocked artery to flatten the plaque permitting smooth blood flow. In cases where medication and balloon angioplasty is not practical such as severe or multiple artery blockage, the patient may need to undergo coronary bypass surgery to get rid of the disease. So if you are having any signs of angina, it is time to diagnose coronary artery disease with your doctor to rule out any underlying health problems.