Month: February 2026

An Event Monitor is a cardiac rhythm monitoring device used to detect intermittent heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias). It belongs to the category of diagnostic tests/devices in cardiology. It is commonly encountered when symptoms are sporadic and a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) or short Holter monitor does not capture them. It helps connect patient-reported symptoms with an objective rhythm recording.

A Holter Monitor is a portable test that records the heart’s electrical activity continuously during everyday life. It is a diagnostic device used for ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG). It is commonly encountered when evaluating intermittent palpitations, syncope, or suspected arrhythmias. It helps clinicians connect symptoms to rhythm findings outside the clinic or hospital.

An EKG is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity over time. It is a diagnostic test used in cardiology and many other clinical settings. It helps clinicians evaluate heart rhythm, conduction, and indirect signs of cardiac stress or injury. It is commonly encountered in emergency care, inpatient monitoring, and outpatient cardiology visits.

ECG stands for electrocardiogram. It is a diagnostic test that records the heart’s electrical activity from the body surface. It is commonly used in cardiology and emergency care to assess rhythm, conduction, and evidence of myocardial stress or injury. It is encountered in routine clinics, hospital wards, perioperative settings, and outpatient monitoring.

An Electrocardiogram is a test that records the heart’s electrical activity from the skin surface. It is a diagnostic test used to evaluate heart rhythm, conduction, and indirect signs of myocardial stress or injury. It is commonly encountered in emergency care, inpatient cardiology, perioperative medicine, and outpatient clinics. It is often the first-line cardiac test when symptoms suggest arrhythmia or ischemia.

Optical Coherence Tomography is an imaging test that uses light to create very detailed pictures of tissue. It is a diagnostic imaging modality, most often used as an intravascular tool inside coronary arteries. In cardiology, it is commonly encountered during cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It helps clinicians evaluate coronary plaque and stent results at a level of detail that angiography alone may not show.

Intravascular Ultrasound is an imaging test performed from inside a blood vessel using a tiny ultrasound probe on a catheter. It is a procedure-based diagnostic tool used during cardiac catheterization, most commonly in the coronary arteries. It produces cross-sectional pictures of the vessel lumen and vessel wall that are not fully visible on angiography alone. It is commonly encountered during coronary intervention planning and stent optimization in interventional cardiology.

Fractional Flow Reserve is an invasive, physiology-based measurement used to assess how much a coronary artery narrowing limits blood flow. It is a diagnostic test value obtained during coronary angiography using a pressure-sensing coronary wire. It belongs to the category of functional coronary assessment (a physiologic index), not a symptom or a diagnosis by itself. It is commonly encountered in the cardiac catheterization lab when clinicians are deciding whether a coronary stenosis is likely to cause ischemia.

Coronary Angiography is a diagnostic imaging procedure used to visualize the coronary arteries. It is an invasive cardiovascular test that uses a catheter, contrast dye, and X-ray fluoroscopy. It is commonly encountered in the evaluation of chest pain, suspected coronary artery disease, and acute coronary syndromes. It also guides treatment planning for percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery.

Left Heart Catheterization is an invasive cardiovascular procedure that places a catheter into the left-sided circulation of the heart. It is a diagnostic test and procedural platform used to assess coronary arteries and left heart pressures. It is commonly encountered in cardiology when evaluating chest pain, suspected coronary artery disease, or valvular heart disease. It is often performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory using fluoroscopy (live X-ray imaging).