Concord Hospital offers a full range of state-of-the-art services to accurately diagnose cardiac conditions. The tests are performed at the Hospital, usually on an outpatient basis, in a dedicated diagnostic suite.

The Concord Hospital Center for Cardiac Care provides the following diagnostic testing and therapeutic services:

Electrocardiogram (EKG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart, and shows abnormal rhythms and detects heart-muscle damage.

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure in which a board-certified interventional cardiologist threads a catheter—a long thin hollow tube—up through the femoral artery, starting at the groin, to just outside the aortic valve of the heart where the coronary arteries arise. The catheter injects dye into the arteries, allowing pictures of the heart to appear on the monitor. The test makes it possible for the physician to view blockages in the arteries and to calculate the extent of the blockage.

A Holter monitor is a small, portable, battery-powered EKG machine worn by a patient to record heartbeats on tape over a period of 24 to 48 hours during normal activities. At the end of the time period, the tape is read and evaluated by a cardiologist.

Cardiac and vascular ultrasound is a noninvasive procedure that uses sound waves to examine the blood vessels in order to determine if there are areas of dilatation, narrowing, or blockage.

Cardiac stress testing is a test given while a patient walks on a treadmill to monitor the heart during exercise. Pulse and blood pressure rates are also monitored. A stress test can be used to detect coronary artery disease.

For more information, call (603) 227-7000, ext. 6062.