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How Can Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Be Treated?
My husband was diagnosed with PAH last October. However I have relived his symptoms from the beginning and I am convinced it is heart related. He had a double bypass in 2009. Would he benefit from a pacemaker if it is heart related and how do we know for sure?
Thu, 12 Jan 2017
Hi,
There are tests that can check the function of the heart such as ECG, echo, treadmill, cardiac angiogram, and holter. The ecg would look at the heart rate, rhythm and can also identify if there are areas not getting enough blood or signs of a previous heart attack. The Echo can look at the overall size of the heart, the size of the different chambers, how the walls are moving and how effectively the heart receives and lets out blood.
The treadmill would look at the body's response during periods of physical stress to see if there is a change in blood supply. The cardiac angiogram would look into the blood vessels to see if there are any blockages. The holter is essentially a 24 hour ECG, would look to see if there are times in the day where there is a change in the heart rate and rhythm.The heart test chosen would depend on his signs and symptoms but initial test are usually an ECG and echo.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Michelle Gibson James
There are tests that can check the function of the heart such as ECG, echo, treadmill, cardiac angiogram, and holter. The ecg would look at the heart rate, rhythm and can also identify if there are areas not getting enough blood or signs of a previous heart attack. The Echo can look at the overall size of the heart, the size of the different chambers, how the walls are moving and how effectively the heart receives and lets out blood.
The treadmill would look at the body's response during periods of physical stress to see if there is a change in blood supply. The cardiac angiogram would look into the blood vessels to see if there are any blockages. The holter is essentially a 24 hour ECG, would look to see if there are times in the day where there is a change in the heart rate and rhythm.The heart test chosen would depend on his signs and symptoms but initial test are usually an ECG and echo.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Michelle Gibson James
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