Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT’s): Pulmonary function tests can range from determining how much air a person is capable of breathing in and blowing out and how fast they can do it to measuring how much volume of air is in a person’s lungs. PFT’s normally take about 20-30 minutes.


Cardiac Stress Test (CST): This test determines how well your heart performs under the stress of exercise. During a CST a person walks on a treadmill while their heart beat is monitored. The physician looks for any changes of the heart beat that could mean coronary artery disease. This test takes about one hour to perform.


Cardiolite™ Stress Test: This test is similar to a Cardiac Stress Test with Nuclear Medicine involved. While walking on the treadmill, a nuclear tracing element (Cardiolite™) is injected into the person’s vein. After the CST test, the person goes to the Nuclear Medicine area to have his or her heart scanned. From the scanning, the physician gets an image of the blood flow of the heart and additional information to help determine if the person has coronary artery disease. This test takes about one and one-half hour to perform.


Dipyridamole Stress Test: This test is similar to a Cardiolite™ Stress Test except that the patient does not need to walk on the treadmill. A medication is given that makes the heart act like it is being exercised, then Cardiolite™ is injected and then the person gets scanned in the Nuclear Medicine area. This gives the physician information to help determine if the person has coronary artery disease. This test takes about one and one-half hour to perform.


Cardio-Pulmonary Exercise Test: This test is used to determine how much exercise capacity a person with lung disease has. It involves taking a quick breathing test, called a Peak Flow, then walking on a treadmill then repeating the Peak Flow after walking on the treadmill.


Holter Monitoring: The patient is connected to a small monitor that the patient wears on his or her belt to monitor his or her heartbeat. This monitor gathers the information over the 24-hour period and then a report given to the physician. Getting the patient set-up for the test takes about 20 minutes. Removing the monitor the next day takes about five minutes.


Echocardiography: This test uses ultrasound to obtain images of a person’s heart. The information gathered is used by the physician to evaluate how well a person’s heart is functioning, if there is anything wrong with the heart valves, or if there is a clot in one of the heart chambers. This test takes about 45 minutes to complete.


Electroencephalogram (EEG): This is a test that records a person’s brain wave activity. The person is connected to a monitor via probes placed on the scalp. This test takes about an hour to complete.


Electrocardiogram (EKG): This test records a person’s heart rhythm. Electrodes are placed on a person’s chest and a quick recording of the heart’s electrical activity is made. From this test the physician may be able to see if there are any heart irregularities. This test takes about five minutes to complete.