At Copper Queen Community Hospital, we offer consultative general cardiology services for adult patients over the age of 18.  A general cardiologist works with your primary care provider to help evaluate symptoms of a possible heart problem, such as chest pain, abnormal heart rhythms, or cardiac-related shortness of breath. We also help your primary care manage established cardiac problems such as coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure. We perform diagnostic testing, specifically ECGs, echocardiograms, and cardiac monitors.  

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New Patient Form

New Patient Form - Spanish

 

Preparing for your visit

 

We welcome you to the cardiology clinic at Copper Queen Community Hospital.  In order for us to give you the most complete evaluation and plan of care, we need your help! Please:   

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1. Always bring a list of your current medications. A sheet of paper with all your current medications written out or typed out (including name, dose, and how often you take) is an invaluable resource for your cardiologist. A list of any medication allergies is also helpful. Having these pieces of information written out helps ensure accuracy in your medical record.

2. Bring a list of your health care providers including name, address, telephone number, and condition being followed. This will help ensure that communication between your cardiologist and your other care providers is complete.

3. Compile a list of your past health history. Important to include are any surgical procedures (with at least approximate dates), a list of any major prior or ongoing illnesses/health issues, and a list of any major tests, especially if performed within the last year. Please include the name of the doctor, hospital and city where you were treated.

4. Compile a family health history of close blood relatives. This includes brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and children. From a cardiology perspective, what you are especially interested in finding out is whether any of your relatives have been diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or aneurysm. Knowing when any of your relatives passed away and cause of death is also important. A family history of health events can provide clues as to what illnesses/conditions you may be at risk for developing.

5. If you have them, bring in copies of any recent lab results and any other test results from the past year, especially if the testing took place with a different health care provider. This will help avoid duplicating tests unnecessarily.

6. Write down a list of the questions you have about your condition and bring it with you to the appointment. You might want to pick the top three or four concerns you would like to have addressed during your visit. Even though this might seem silly, it is easy to get sidetracked during a health visit. Write down ahead of time what pieces of information you want to leave with.

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Common Cardiac Tests:

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1. Electrocardiogram (ECG). This test looks at the electrical activity of your heart.  There are many conditions that can be diagnosed with an ECG, but many conditions require more advanced testing. 

2. Echocardiogram (echo). An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. This test doesn't hurt and shows the size and function of the heart. It can also look at the heart valves. For a more detailed look at your heart, your doctor may order a cardiac MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

3. Home ECG Monitor. If your heartbeat has been fast or irregular or if you have passed out, your doctor may want you to wear an ECG monitor at home. This may be for only one day or up to 30 days, depending on how often you have your symptoms. Some of these monitors are called Holter monitors and some are called event monitors.

4. Stress Test. If symptoms occur during exercise, you may undergo a stress test when you run on a treadmill attached to an ECG. This can mimic the exercise that triggers your symptoms. Sometimes your doctor may also want to do this test using an echocardiogram or a nuclear medicine image. Another test may be a coronary calcium score. Interestingly, higher levels of exercise increase the amount of calcium and plaques in the arteries of the heart, but people in this situation are less likely to have a heart attack.

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Preparing for Cardiac Testing at Copper Queen or another facility: Always ask what specific preparations are needed and if you need to hold medications.  Also, ask if you will need someone to drive you to the test and back home.  

 

1. Echo: Generally, no specific preparations are needed

2. Monitors: Generally, no specific preparations are needed

3. Stress tests

   • Treadmill stress test

   • Treadmill stress test with echocardiogram (“Stress Echo”)

   • Treadmill stress test with nuclear imaging pictures

   • Chemical stress test with nuclear imaging pictures

4. Coronary CT Angiogram: This is a CT scan that uses IV dye put into your vein to look at blood flow in the coronary arteries.  It is a “non-invasive” evaluation for coronary artery disease

5. Coronary Calcium Score: This is a CT scan of your heart that measures the amount of calcium in your coronary arteries.  It does not look for blockages.  This test is used to predict how likely it is that you may have plaque buildup that can ultimately progress to blockages. 

6. Cardiac Catheterization: This procedure is generally done in the hospital setting and is performed to look for heart artery blockages, assess the left ventricular muscle strength, and sometimes to evaluate the pressures on the right side of the heart.  If appropriate, blockages can be fixed during a cardiac catheterization with a stent.  You are lightly sedated and a tube (catheter) is inserted into the artery in your arm or leg and moved up to your heart.  Dye is then injected to look specifically for the severity and location of artery blockages.  Patients always require someone to drive them home after this procedure.

 

Helpful information about your heart health and diagnosis

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1. Chest pain (angina): https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/angina

2. Coronary artery disease: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/coronary-artery-disease

3. Heart attack: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/heart-attack

4. Heart rhythm problems: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/heart-rhythm-problems

5. Atrial fibrillation: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/atrial-fibrillation

6. Heart valve disease: https://www.cardiosmart.org/assets/infographic/heart-valve-disease

7. Aortic valve stenosis: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/aortic-stenosis

8. Mitral regurgitation: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/mitral-regurgitation

9. High cholesterol: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/high-cholesterol

10. Cancer treatment and your heart: https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/cancer-treatment-and-your-heart

 

MOST IMPORTANT

Guides to HEALTHY LIVING: Please follow the link below to the American College of Cardiology website for good information on ways that might help you find a more healthy lifestyle
 

https://www.cardiosmart.org/topics/healthy-living

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