Although chest pain is the primary symptom of acute coronary syndrome, it could also be the symptom of other ailments. If ECG and Blood Test indicate acute coronary syndrome or possibility of a heart attack, you undergo an intensive test.
Diagnostic Tests and Procedures for Acute Coronary Syndrome
New York (USA), June 21, 2013
Acute Coronary Syndrome: Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
Although chest pain is the primary symptom of acute coronary syndrome, it could also be the symptom of other ailments. The two main preliminary tests to diagnose acute coronary syndrome include:
Electrocardiogram (ECG): Electrodes are fixed on different parts of your body and connected to a machine. This records electrical activity of your heart as impulses on a graph. If heart is not functioning normally, impulses are not recorded properly.
Blood Test: If your heart suffers damages due to acute coronary syndrome, it gives out specific enzymes. A blood test can detect presence of such enzymes.
If these two tests indicate acute coronary syndrome or possibility of a heart attack, you undergo an intensive test. This includes:
Coronary Angiogram (Cardiac Catheterization): A liquid dye is injected through a long, thin tube into arteries of your heart. Normally, it is injected through an artery in your leg that connects to heart arteries. Slowly, dye fills your arteries and an x-ray reflects blockages. If need be, doctor performs angioplasty to remove such blockages. Tiny balloons threaded through a blood vessel are inserted into coronary artery to clear blockages through angioplasty. Sometimes, doctors insert a stent to widen artery and prevent blockages in future.
If the two tests do not indicate acute coronary syndrome or heart attack, your doctor advises few other tests to detect blood flow in your arteries and to identify cause of your chest pain. These include:
Chest X-Ray: This shows size and shape of your heart. Doctor can detect any abnormality easily.
Echocardiogram: A transducer is held on your chest and sound waves are directed on your chest. These sound waves help create an electronic image of your heart. The image clearly shows if any part of your heart is damaged or explains why your heart is not pumping blood normally.
Nuclear Scan: Small amounts of thallium, a radioactive material, are injected into your bloodstream. Special cameras detect path of thallium as it flows through your heart and lungs. Areas of low flow of thallium appear as dark spots on the scan.
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