CARDIAC TESTS

Has your partner ever said you snore? Have they ever mentioned that you sometimes stop breathing when you sleep? If so, you may have sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder that can have significant consequences for the heart and arteries.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the top causes of death in much of the developed world. Both cardiologists and cardiac surgeons (also referred to as cardiothoracic surgeons) lead the fight against this deadly threat. While both professions are concerned with treatments of heart conditions, there are some critical differences between the two related fields. Both start their journeys by attending higher education programs that teach the building blocks of medicine, but that is where the similarities end. After a few years of medical education, their training diverges, the duties they perform differ, and their specialties can vary greatly.

What is Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography? Echocardiography uses ultrasound waves (high-frequency sound waves) to assess the motion of heart muscle and bood vessels. Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is a non-exercise stress test that allows the cardiologist to study the capacity and reserve of heart muscle function under stressful condition. Dobutamine, a cardiac medication, is infused through...