Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center provides a comprehensive range of cardio-respiratory services for our patients. Some of the more common tests are explained below:

Pulmonary Function Studies. (PFTS): 

These are breathing tests that determine how well your lungs are working.  We do several kinds. To check for emphysema we do a test called pre and post spirometry and diffusion capacity and total lung volumes.  The last major lung test we do is Cardiopulmonary Stress Testing which looks at how both the heart and lungs, and how they are working together. 

Electrocardiogram (EKG):

This test looks at the electrical functioning of the heart to determine abnormalities. It is routinely done before surgery or if you come to the Emergency Room with chest pain.

Cardiac Stress Test: This test determines if you have heart trouble by making you run on a treadmill after they have injected a nuclear radioisotope.  It determines if you need medication or a heart catheterization.

Echocardiogram (ECHO):

An echocardiogram (also called an echo) is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves that are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echos of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of your heart. These echos are turned into moving pictures of your heart that can be seen on a video screen.

The different types of echocardiograms are:

Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). This is the most common type. Views of the heart are obtained by moving the transducer to different locations on your chest or abdominal wall.

Stress echocardiogram. During this test, an echocardiogram is done both before and after your heart is stressed either by having you exercise or by injecting a medicine that makes your heart beat harder and faster. A stress echocardiogram is usually done to find out if you might have decreased blood flow to your heart (coronary artery disease or CAD).

Doppler echocardiogram. This test is used to look at how blood flows through the heart chambers, heart valves, and blood vessels. The movement of the blood reflects sound waves to a transducer. The ultrasound computer then measures the direction and speed of the blood flowing through your heart and blood vessels. Doppler measurements may be displayed in black and white or in color.

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). For this test, the probe is passed down the esopagus instead of being moved over the outside of the chest wall. TEE shows clearer pictures of your heart, because the probe is located closer to the heart and because the lungs and bones of the chest wall do not block the sound waves produced by the probe. A sedative and an anesthetic applied to the throat are used to make you comfortable during this test.

Echo can be used as part of a stress test and with an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to help your doctor learn more about your heart.

Electroencephalogram (EEG):

This test is like the EKG in that it looks at electrical functioning of the brain instead of the heart and determines abnormalities.

Bronchoscopy: This test uses a flexible hose with a camera at the end, much like those used by heating and air conditioning repairmen.  But in this test, we actually look into the airways of the lungs to look for abnormalities.  This is done by a physician but we assist.

Resting Energy Expenditure (REE): This test determines the amount of calories your body burns while at rest.  Dieticians use this information plus other info to determine a diet.  A lot of men and women would like this test because it determines your caloric baseline and knowing that, you would know how many calories you could eat each day and still lose weight. 

Nebulizer treatments:  A treatment routinely used to treat shortness of breath caused by a variety of factors such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, etc.