Cardiology Management

DMC Primary Care offers specialized cardiology management for DMC primary care patients with new cardiac conditions that need further evaluation, and also for those patients who have an established or chronic cardiac condition.

 

What is Cardiology Management?

Our program is designed to evaluate any new onset of symptoms, plus determine cardiac risk based upon family history. We provide continued care and management of chronic cardiac conditions, medication management, and chronic symptom management along with long term follow up.

How it works:

• This is a specialized cardiology management program made available to patients of DMC Primary Care in all locations.
• You do not need to have an established cardiologist in order to have access to the cardiac services offered by DMC Primary Care.
• Providers within the program can also work collaboratively with your established cardiologist (if you have one) to provide the best cardiac care possible.
• Cardiac testing includes Echocardiogram, exercise stress testing, nuclear stress testing (such as Lexi/Mibi scans) and calcium scoring, all of which can be performed onsite at Derry Imaging Center.

Services offered include:

• Cardiac risk based on family history
• Cardiac Clearance pre-surgery
• Medication management
• Management of a variety of symptoms such as leg swelling, palpitations, and blood pressure changes, with same-day office visits available
• Nutritional information and referrals to our Derry Medical Registered Dietitians as needed
• Education regarding disease process, diagnosis, medication and long-term management strategy
• Management of:
  • Hypertension and resistant hypertension
  • Valvular heart disease
  • Arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation)
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Congestive Heart failure (both systolic and diastolic)
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Post hospital follow up for cardiac admission
  • Structural and congenital heart disease
  • Stroke and TIA
  • Anticoagulation
  • Peripheral vascular disease

 

Cardiac Testing

Derry Imaging works with healthcare providers and patients to detect heart disease. Our cardiac testing services are performed by board-certified cardiac specialists and technologists and results are read by board-certified cardiologists from the New England Heart Institute.

What is an Echocardiogram?

An Echocardiogram is a non-invasive test using ultrasound or sound waves to produce an image of the structures of the heart. To produce this image, a technician applies gel to the chest wall. A wand-like transducer is then moved across the chest creating two-dimensional images of the heart muscle and valves. This test evaluates the size, pumping strength, and function of the heart muscle and valves.

Derry Imaging is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) in recognition of its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing through echocardiography. The Derry Imaging echocardiography laboratory is one of the first one thousand laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to earn this status.

What is an Exercise Tolerance Test (Stress Test)?

A Stress Test is a diagnostic study to evaluate cardiac function during exercise—usually on a treadmill. This test is often done to diagnose the presence of coronary artery disease, to obtain prognostic information in patients with known coronary artery disease, or to adjust medical therapy in patients with known heart artery disease.

What is an Exercise Stress Echocardiogram?

An Exercise Stress Echo is a test that combines an ultrasound study of the heart (echocardiogram) and an exercise stress test (described above). This test helps to identify areas of diminished blood flow to the heart muscle, or blockages in the coronary arteries.

The test includes an Echocardiogram. This procedure uses sound waves to produce an image of the structures of the heart. To produce this image, a technician applies gel to the chest wall. A wand-like transducer is then moved across the chest creating two-dimensional images of the heart muscle and valves.

What is a Holter Monitor?

A Holter monitor is a portable EKG device that records your heart rhythm continually for 24-hours, outside of a doctor’s office. Whereas a regular EKG examines your heart’s electrical activity for a few minutes, the Holter monitor examines changes over a sustained period of time while you go about your daily activities and even while you sleep. Doctors use it to evaluate symptoms that come and go and that might be related to heart-rhythm changes. A Holter Monitor determines if symptoms such as palpitations, lightheadedness, irregular pulse or skipped heartbeats are related to an abnormal heart rhythm. It may also be used to evaluate the effects of medications on your heart rhythm.

Test Results

When a test is completed in the Cardiology Department, the report or results will be sent to the Physician that ordered the test for you. Please contact your Physician.

Your doctor will give you a copy of the physician order identifying the test(s) you need. Be sure to bring your physician order with you when you come for your test(s) as it contains information used by the technologist to set up your exam. Our billing department will also use this order to submit the charges to your insurance company.