Every Heart Matters: Providing Local Outpatient Cardiac Imaging

Brookings Health now has a new Philips EPIQ CVx cardiovascular ultrasound system, the same system preferred by regional cardiologists to visualize the heart’s anatomy. The new system, which is designed specifically to diagnose heart disease, allows Brookings Health’s radiology department to take photorealistic echocardiograms, moving ultrasounds that show the heart’s structure and function. 

“Echocardiography paired with a nuclear stress test to see how blood flows creates a more comprehensive picture of the patient’s heart,” said Director of Imaging and Respiratory Services Nicole Winseman. “Knowing the heart’s structure and function as well as visualizing any blockages can determine if the patient has coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, heart valve disease or another condition. We share echocardiogram and stress test results with the patient’s cardiologist for diagnosis which will then lead to treatment and therapies.” 

The new cardiovascular ultrasound system has improved penetration and resolution to help in cardiac assessments. 3D ultrasound images show enhanced views of the heart’s anatomy and more accurately measure left ventricular chamber dimensions, volume and ejection fraction as well as valve function. 

The new system also gives Brookings Health strain technology, an ultrasound method that measures and analyzes myocardial deformation. It shows how the heart muscle contracts, relaxes and moves, plus it assists in early diagnosis of cardiac conditions. 

Strain especially helps identify subtle myocardial dysfunction before it is evident on conventional imaging, making it useful to diagnose conditions like cardiomyopathy, chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity and heart failure. Applications of strain technology include: 

• Myocardial strain measurement provides the percentage of deformation of heart muscle during the cardiac cycle, providing information on how the much the muscle shortens or lengthens. 
• Speckle-tracking echocardiography tracks natural acoustic markers in the myocardium. This helps for precise measurement of strain in longitudinal, radial and circumferential directions. 
• Global longitudinal strain assesses overall heart muscle function, especially for early detection of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction.

Strain technology provides real-time analysis with high-resolution images, helping clinicians to make fast and accurate diagnostic decisions. It enhances diagnostic precision and provides more detailed evaluation of cardiac function, particularly for patients with suspected or confirmed heart disease. 

In addition to echocardiography and cardiovascular stress tests, Brookings Health also offers cardiovascular diagnostic monitors. Electrocardiograms (EKGs) record heart rhythms and electrical activity to help find the cause of chest pain or unusual heart rhythms. Wearable devices, like Holter monitors and cardiac event monitors, record heart rhythms for longer periods of time than a standard EKG and give physicians additional data to diagnose conditions. 

More information about all outpatient cardiopulmonary services offered at Brookings Health System can be found online at brookingshealth.org/Heart. 

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