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Stephanie Gnolfo
Professor Lauro
English 151 Sect. 15
May 8, 2008


Medical technology has come a long way in heart care. Just a few of many include echocardiography, nuclear imaging, angioplasty, and ICD. All of which may potentially save some ones life.
Echocardiography is the use of ultrasound waves used to produce an image of the hearts structure and function. A transducer, or modified microphone, turns electrical energy into sound waves, which bounces off tissues in the heart and are recorded onto videotaped or computer disk for analysis. The test is painless, has few identified risks, and does not use radiation. Echocardiography is usually performed by a trained sonographer or technician at an office echocardiography lab, a clinic, or in a patient’s hospital room. Throughout the test an electrocardiogram, or ECG, which records the hearts electrical activity, is performed to monitor the heartbeat. For transthoracic and stress echocardiography, a gel is used on the chest to improve conduction and reception- it may feel cold and moist. Echocardiography is primarily used to detect and assesses blocked coronary arteries, enlargement of the heart, damage from high blood pressure, heart attack damage or scarring, pericardial disease and the function of the heart muscle, blood vessels and valves.
Another technological advancement in heart care is nuclear imaging. During nuclear imaging, a small dose of radioactive isotope is injected into the bloodstream. The radioisotope, or tracer, is carried through the bloodstream and into the myocardium, or heart muscle. Special cameras detect the radiation released from the tracers and record information about the heart muscle and blood flow. The information is then used to produce images of the heart on a computer screen or film. The radioactive isotopes used in nuclear imaging lose their radioactivity quickly and typically pass from the body...