Cardiac prevention
St Wojciech’s Hospital offers a full cardiac prevention programme which includes:
- Cardiological consultation
- Echocardiogram: a test to assess the structure and contractility of the heart and its valves.
- ECG: it detects heart diseases based on its electrical activity.
- ABPM (24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring): monitors the patient’s blood pressure over 24 hours. The blood pressure is measured every 15-30 minutes during the day and every 30-60 minutes at night.This test allows to diagnose hypertension and assess the effectiveness of prior treatment for hypertension.A blood pressure device is installed on your arm and worn throughout the course of the test. This device is connected to a recorder which automatically registers the blood pressure at appropriate intervals.If you regularly take medications, you should take a daily dose on the day of the test, unless indicated otherwise by the doctor who prescribes the test. It is best if you take a shower or bath before the test because the recorder is not waterproof and you may not bathe while it is installed.The test takes about 24 hours. You should not restrict daily physical activity during the test because it is supposed to measure your blood pressure during an average day (work, everyday chores, physical leisure activities, sleep).
- ECG Holter monitor test: modification of the resting ECG test. The difference between this test and the resting ECG test is that while resting ECG takes less than a minute, the ECG Holter monitor test lasts for the whole day. It is especially valuable for patients with suspected cardiac arrhythmias. It can identify a specific arrhythmia and assess the need for treatment. This will depend on the total duration of the episodes in the course of a single day and your symptoms.
Description of the test: Electrodes wired to a recording ECG device are placed on your chest. You will keep a log of main activities done during the day, their time and problems encountered while doing them. The recorder is not taken off for sleep. You should perform your normal daily activities during the test. You must not take a shower or bath during the test, it is also forbidden to use electric pillows and blankets. - Exercise stress test: An ECG exercise stress test helps to detect changes in the electrical activity of the heart (which may, for example, indicate myocardial ischaemia) or show arrhythmias present during exercise. An exercise stress test is a non-invasive test helpful in diagnosis of, among others, coronary artery disease. The test is performed on a treadmill. Before the test, electrodes for continuous monitoring of the heart’s function (ECG) during physical exercise are placed on your skin. After the start of the test you will be asked to inform about all distressing symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath or exhaustion. Blood pressure and ECG are systematically recorded during the test.
An exercise stress test takes about 20 minutes. The test ends when you reach the age-predicted heart rate, exhibit any distressing symptoms or when there are ECG changes. After the test, the doctor analyses and describes the test results. An exercise stress test is used to assess the heart’s function in response to increased physical effort.