Tag: Artery

Categories
Diagnonistic Test

Arterial Blood Flow Studies of the Legs (Segmental Doppler Pressures)

[amazon_link asins=’B00EEEFUZI,B01ARJ7SBM,B01M5FVD4U,B06XFHHTGC,B06XD2YSX1,B002YXUPGK’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’cbaf0025-bbf3-11e7-bbac-9b284295471f’]

What is the test?
People who have leg pain when exercising may need an evaluation to make sure they have normal blood flow through their leg arteries. Normally blood pressure is similar whether it is measured in the legs or in the arms. If blood pressure is lower in the legs, it usually means that cholesterol buildup inside the leg arteries is interfering with circulation. By taking accurate blood pressure measurements at different locations along your legs, your doctors can determine if you have any arterial narrowing and, if so, where.

click to see the pictures…..…(01)…..(1).……..(2)…..….(3)..….…(4)..…….(5).…....(6).…...(7).….

In order to get accurate blood pressure measurements, your doctor uses a technique called Doppler ultrasound. Doppler ultrasound is a painless way to detect blood flowing through a small artery. It uses sound waves and a type of sonar detection system to make noise when blood flow is detected. For arterial studies of the legs (called segmental Doppler pressures), Doppler ultrasound is used in place of the stethoscope that doctors usually use when taking blood pressures.

Why This Test is Done:
Blood flow studies measure the flow of blood through arteries and veins as well as blood pressure. Two methods for performing blood flow studies include a duplex study (using Doppler ultrasound) and plethysmography. The duplex study measures blood flow through the veins and arteries. Plethysmography uses sophisticated blood pressure readings to measure changes in blood volume in a specific blood vessel.

Fast Facts:
*Blood flow studies help researchers find treatments for exercise intolerance in heart failure patients.

* Arterial blood flow studies of the legs (segmental Doppler pressures) help physicians diagnose leg pain.

* Blood flow studies improve the diagnosis and treatment of epicondylitis, which is commonly known as tennis elbow

Click to learn more

What is Peripheral Artery Disease(PAD)

What happens when the test is performed?
You lie on a table and a technician or doctor wraps blood pressure cuffs around one of your legs in four or five locations (including the thigh, calf, and ankle). He or she then squirts some clear jelly onto your skin to help the Doppler sensor (which resembles a wand or pen) slide around easily and to help conduct sound waves through your skin.

Each blood pressure cuff is inflated two times. The first time, the cuff is only inflated part way so that it exerts a gentle pressure on your leg. The cuff sends information to a computer about the size of your leg and how elastic your arteries seem to be as the pressure is increased. A wavy line that signifies your blood flow appears on a video screen.

The second time, each cuff is inflated to exert more pressure on your leg. This temporarily cuts off circulation in the leg. Many patients briefly experience some cramping pain in the calf or thigh (similar to the sensation you experience when a blood pressure cuff is inflated around your arm). As the cuff is deflated, the doctor places a Doppler sensor against your foot to detect the moment when blood flow starts up again. (When it does, you will hear a noise that sounds like your heartbeat.) Checking the air pressure of the deflating cuff at this time shows the leg blood pressure.

After all the cuffs on one side have been tested, the other leg is checked in the same way. For comparison, you also have your blood pressure checked in each arm using the Doppler Technique. The whole test usually takes 45 minutes.

Some patients have their leg pressures checked both before and after exercise. If this is the case for your test, you are asked to walk on a treadmill for a short time and then have the test again afterward. The exercise version of this test takes more time.

How do you prepare for the test?
You may want to wear shorts for this exam, and your feet should be bare during the test. If you are not wearing shorts, you may have to change into a hospital gown.

Risk Factors: There are no risks.

Must you do anything special after the test is over?
The jelly will be wiped off. You will have no side effects from the test.

How long is it before the result of the test is known?
Your doctor should receive a formal report within a few days.

Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/diagnostics/arterial-blood-flow-studies-of-the-legs.shtml
http://organizedwisdom.com/Blood_Flow_Studies

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Diagnonistic Test

Oxygen Saturation Test

[amazon_link asins=’B007Z4KKIQ,B00HXXO332,B01NATPX6I,B01N9F3PRR,B004WN6AO6,B0716CGQBQ,B00IH13F2E,B071PF7841,B07263PC31′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’286e9cb1-5fb0-11e7-bbdc-a3d4c517265c’]

Definition:
Your red blood cells must carry sufficient oxygen through your arteries to all of your internal organs to keep you alive. Normally, when red blood cells pass through the lungs, 95%-100% of them are loaded, or “saturated,” with oxygen to carry. If you have lung disease or other types of medical conditions, fewer of your red blood cells may be carrying their usual load of oxygen, and your oxygen saturation might be lower than 95%. Your blood oxygen level can be measured in two ways.

How  the test is performed?
An estimate of your oxygen saturation can be made easily and painlessly with a clip that fits on your finger. This clip shines a light through one side of your finger; a detector measures the light that comes through the other side. This machine can make a good guess about your oxygen saturation because blood cells that are saturated with oxygen absorb and reflect light differently than those that are not. Blood cells are a bright red when they are loaded with oxygen, and they change to a bluish color when they are no longer carrying a full load. This machine cannot give a perfect measurement of your oxygen saturation; it can give only a rough estimate, and its measurement can be affected by things as simple as red nail polish on your finger.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

A better test for measuring your oxygen saturation is an arterial blood gas test. For this test, a small sample of blood must be drawn directly out of an artery. Most routine blood tests use blood that is drawn out of a vein, so this test is a little different. The artery that is sampled most often is the radial artery in your wrist, the one you can feel when you take your pulse. To draw blood from this artery, your doctor or a technician feels your pulse before inserting the needle. Some patients find that it hurts a little more to have blood taken from an artery instead of a vein, but the procedure takes only a few seconds. Your arterial blood can be directly tested for its oxygen level, and other tests (such as the level of carbon dioxide and the pH of the blood) can be done as well.

How do you prepare for the test?
No preparation  is needed.

Risk Factors:
Measurement made with a fingerclip has no risks. The risks of an arterial blood gas test are very small. Even temporary injury to your artery is unlikely to cause a problem, because most patients pump blood to their hand through more than one artery.

Before drawing your blood, your doctor may do a brief physical examination to make sure that you still get good blood flow to your hand even when one wrist artery is blocked. To do this test, the doctor presses down first on both sides of your wrist to block blood flow, until your hand becomes pale. Then he or she lifts off the pressure from one side to see if that is enough to let your hand turn pink again.

Must you do anything special after the test is over?
You will need to have pressure held over the artery for a few minutes after the blood is drawn, because arteries are more likely than veins to bleed afterward.

How long is it before the result of the test is known?
The results of the arterial blood gas test are processed very quickly and are available within 15 minutes in most laboratories. The fingerclip estimate of oxygen is available immediately.

Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/oxygen-saturation-test.htm

Related articles
Categories
News on Health & Science

Now, ‘Smart Scaffold’ to Help Heart Heal Itself

[amazon_link asins=’B0015WLYY8,B019O4PMWI,3642268129,B014881T2C,B001JL18XC,B00BXQSMQ4,B00BXQSORQ,B00BGHYMFK,B010A1W6MI’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4d5a4a8d-76c4-11e7-8161-cded53339a46′]

New treatments are being developed that heal broken hearts or muscle loss by prompting the body to repair damaged tissues.

Canadian researchers, for the first time, have developed an organic substance (scaffold) that attracts and supports cells necessary for tissue repair and can be directly injected into problem areas.

This development is a major step toward treatments that allow people to more fully recover from injury and disease rather than having to live with chronic health problems. It may even help reduce the need for organ transplantation by allowing physicians to save organs that would have been previously damaged beyond repair.

These “smart scaffolds”, developed by Erik Suuronen from the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Heart Research Institute, contain a protein that allows progenitor cells to adhere to the damaged tissue and survive long enough to promote healing. These cells emit homing signals that summon other cells to join in the process and give off chemical signals that order cells to grow blood vessels necessary for healing to occur.

“Ultimately, we envision a scaffold material that can be taken off the shelf and injected into the hearts of patients suffering from blocked arteries,” he said. “The scaffold materials would direct the repair process, and restore blood flow and function to the heart

Sources: The Times Of India

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Diagnonistic Test

Carotid Ultrasound (Carotid Doppler)

[amazon_link asins=’0781725348,143771417X,1848826877,0989932915,B0164TEXGC,1603273131,B006QLDSW4,B01JO26H6A,B0061QAY4E’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c9c1e125-5a1c-11e7-83eb-9110c549a8b7′]

Definition:
Ultrasound uses sound waves instead of radiation to generate snapshots or moving pictures of structures inside the body. This imaging technique works in a manner similar to radar and sonar, developed in World War II to detect airplanes, missiles, and submarines that were otherwise invisible. After coating your skin with a lubricant to reduce friction, a radiologist or ultrasound technician places an ultrasound transducer, which looks like a microphone, on your skin and may rub it back and forth to get the right view. The transducer sends sound waves into your body and picks up the echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off internal organs and tissue. A computer transforms these echoes into an image that is displayed on a monitor…….....CLICK & SEE

Doppler ultrasound is a variation of this technique that not only shows internal structures but also examines the flow of blood through blood vessels. Using the Doppler effect—the change in the frequency of sound or light waves as they bounce off a moving object—this kind of ultrasound produces an image of blood in motion…..CLICK & SEE

A Carotid ultrasound shows the amount of blood flow in the carotid arteries, the major blood vessels to the brain located on either side of your neck. With this imaging technique, your doctor can see if there is any narrowing of your carotid arteries because of cholesterol deposits or some other problem. This test is often used to evaluate people who have had a stroke or who might be at high risk for one because of reduced blood flow in the carotid arteries…......CLICK & SEE.

Who Needs Carotid Ultrasound?
Carotid ultrasound checks for plaque buildup in the carotid arteries. This buildup can narrow or block your carotid arteries. You may need a carotid ultrasound if you:

*Had a stroke or ministroke recently.
*Have an abnormal sound in your carotid artery called a carotid bruit (broo-E).

Your doctor can hear a carotid bruit with the help of a stethoscope put on your neck over the carotid artery. A bruit can mean that there’s a partial blockage in your carotid artery that could lead to a stroke.
Your doctor also may order a carotid ultrasound if he or she suspects you may have:

*Blood clots that can slow blood flow in your carotid artery
*A split between the layers of your carotid artery wall that weakens the wall or reduces the blood flow to your brain
A carotid ultrasound also may be done to see whether carotid artery surgery has restored normal blood flow. If you had a procedure called carotid stenting, your doctor may order a carotid ultrasound afterward to check the position of the stent put in your carotid artery. (The stent, a small mesh tube, helps prevent the artery from becoming narrowed or blocked again.)

Sometimes carotid ultrasound is used as a preventive screening test in people who have medical conditions that increase their risk of stroke, including high blood pressure and diabetes. People with these conditions may benefit from having their carotid arteries checked regularly even if they show no signs of plaque buildup.

What To Expect Before Carotid Ultrasound
Carotid ultrasound is a painless test, and typically there is little to do in advance. Your doctor will tell you how to prepare for your carotid ultrasound.

Process of Performing the Test.:
After squirting some clear jelly onto one side of your neck to help the ultrasound sensor slide around easily, a technician places the sensor against your skin. An image then appears on a video screen . As the technician moves the sensor back and forth on your neck, different views of the carotid artery appear on the screen. As the equipment measures the blood flow through the artery, you hear a noise that sounds like your heartbeat. The other side of your neck is checked in the same way. This test usually takes 15–30 minutes.

The ultrasound machine includes a computer, a video screen, and a transducer, which is a hand-held device that sends and receives ultrasound waves into and from the body.

You will lie down on your back on an exam table for the test. Your technician or doctor will put a gel on your neck where your carotid arteries are located. This gel helps the ultrasound waves reach the arteries better. Your technician or doctor will put the transducer against different spots on your neck and move it back and forth.

FIG-A

 

 

 
……….Fig->A.
The above Figure shows how the ultrasound probe is placed over the carotid artery. Figure B is a color ultrasound image showing blood flow (the red color in the image) in the carotid artery. Figure C is a waveform image showing the sound of flowing blood in the carotid artery.

The transducer gives off ultrasound waves and detects their echoes after they bounce off the artery walls and blood cells. Ultrasound waves can’t be heard by the human ear.

A computer uses the echoes of the ultrasound waves bouncing off the carotid arteries to create and record images of the insides of the arteries (usually in black and white) and your blood flowing through them (usually in color; this is the Doppler ultrasound). A video screen displays these live images for your doctor to review.

Risk Factor:
There are no risks linked to having a carotid ultrasound, because the test uses harmless sound waves. These are the same type of sound waves that doctors use to record pictures of fetuses in pregnant women.

What one must do after the test is over?
Carotid ultrasound is usually done in a doctor’s office or hospital. The test is painless and usually doesn’t take more than 30 minutes.
Usually there is nothing special you have to do after a carotid ultrasound, and you should be able to return to normal activities immediately.

Often your doctor will be able to tell you the results of the carotid ultrasound when it occurs or soon afterward.

What Does a Carotid Ultrasound Show?
A carotid ultrasound can show whether buildup of a fatty material called plaque has narrowed one or both of your carotid arteries and reduced blood flow to your brain.

.Fig->B………………….
The illustration shows a normal artery with normal blood flow (figure A) and an artery containing plaque buildup ( figure B).

If your carotid arteries are narrowed by plaque, you may be at risk for having a stroke. That risk depends on how much of your artery is blocked and how much blood flow is restricted. To reduce your risk for stroke, your doctor may recommend medical or surgical treatments to reduce or remove the plaque buildup in your carotid arteries.

How long is it before the result of the test is known?
The technician records the test on videotape for review by a radiologist. The radiologist then makes measurements from the video picture and submits a report to your doctor. Your doctor should have the results within a few days.

Key Points to Note:
*Carotid ultrasound is a test that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the insides of the two large arteries in your neck. These arteries, called carotid arteries, supply your brain with blood.

*A carotid ultrasound can show whether buildup of a fatty material called plaque has narrowed one or both of your carotid arteries and reduced blood flow to your brain.

*If your carotid arteries are narrowed by plaque, you may be at risk for having a stroke, depending on how much of your artery is blocked and how much blood flow is restricted.

*You may need a carotid ultrasound if you had a stroke or ministroke recently or are at high risk for having a stroke.

*Carotid ultrasound is a painless test done in a doctor’s office or hospital. It usually doesn’t take more than 30 minutes and requires no preparation or followup.

*There are no risks linked to having a carotid ultrasound, because the test uses harmless sound waves.

Resources:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/carotid-ultrasound.htm
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cu/cu_all.html

Related articles by Zemanta
Categories
News on Health & Science

Sow the Seeds of Good Health

 

[amazon_link asins=’B074KFY62H,B007K68C5M,B06ZZ2C3GC,B00F6MFXCW,B016SLSYBQ,B01AZSRPW2,B01N1425BQ,B00T0NE37O,B0098U0QWA’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c3b3053f-e989-11e7-b5f4-b9677cc2ce87′]Why wait till you are older to get wise about eating healthy? Start today.

CLICK & SEE
In some studies, moderate use of alcohol is linked with higher HDL (good) cholesterol levels. But take it easy there, Dino. People who consume moderate amounts of alcohol (an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women) have a lower risk of heart disease, but increased consumption of alcohol can bring other health dangers, such as alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer.

Johnny B good
A B vitamin called niacin reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol at the same time it raises beneficial HDL. In fact, niacin can be more effective at treating these things than popular cholesterol-busting drugs, which tend to act more generally on total cholesterol and gross LDL. (Be careful, though. While the niacin you get from foods and over-the-counter vitamins is fine, super-high doses of niacin can have serious side effects and should be taken only under a doctor’s supervision.)

Time for some tea.
Three recent studies confirm that drinking green tea can help lower your cholesterol level and reduce your risk of developing cancer. In a 12-week trial of 240 men and women, researchers at Vanderbilt University found that drinking the equivalent of 7 cups of green tea a day can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 16 percent. Seven cups a day is a lot of tea, but even 1 or 2 cups a day could have a beneficial impact. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Rochester recently determined that green tea extract can help prevent the growth of cancer cells, and Medical College of Ohio researchers found that a compound called EGCG in green tea may help slow or stop the progression of bladder cancer.

Go for the grapefruit.
If you want to make one simple dietary change for better health, the best thing you can do is eat a single white or ruby grapefruit every day. Grapefruit is gaining ground as a power food. New research shows that it can fight heart disease and cancer, trigger your body to lose weight, and even help you get a better night’s sleep. A grapefruit a day can lower your total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 8 and 11 percent, respectively.

Gain with grains and beans. Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto had people add several servings of foods like whole grains, nuts, and beans to their diets each day. One month later, the test subjects LDL (bad) cholesterol levels were nearly 30 percent lower than when the trial began. In another study, this one at Tulane University, researchers found that people who ate four or more servings a week had a 22 percent lower risk of developing heart disease (and 75 percent fewer camping companions) than less-than-once-a-week bean eaters.

Don’t let your tank hit empty.
A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat six or more small meals a day have 5 per cent lower cholesterol levels than those who eat one or two large meals.

Refrain from fries.
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the exercise and nutritional habits of 80,000 women were recorded for 14 years. The researchers found that the most important correlate of heart disease was the women’s dietary intake of foods containing trans fatty acids, mutated forms of fat that lower HDL (good) and increase LDL (bad) cholesterol. Some of the worst offenders are french fries.

Sow your oats.
In a University of Connecticut study, men with high cholesterol who ate oat bran cookies daily for 8 weeks dropped their levels of LDL cholesterol by more than 20 percent. So eat more oat bran fibre, such as oatmeal. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that two servings of whole-grain cereal a day can reduce a man’s risk of dying of heart disease by nearly 20 per cent.

Rise and dine
In a study of 3,900 people, Harvard researchers found that men who ate breakfast every day were 44 percent less likely to be overweight and 41 percent less likely to develop insulin resistance, both risk factors for heart disease.

Fortify with folic acid
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that people who
consume the recommended amount of folic acid each day have a 16 percent lower risk of heart disease than those whose diets are lacking in this B vitamin. Good sources of folic acid include asparagus, broccoli, and fortified cereal.

Order a chef’s salad Leafy greens and egg yolks are both good sources of lutein, a phytochemical that carries heart disease fighting antioxidants to your cells and tissues.

Be a sponge
Loma Linda University researchers found that drinking five or more 8-ounce glasses of water a day could help lower your risk of heart disease by up to 60 per cent — exactly the same drop you get from stopping smoking, lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol numbers, exercising, or losing a little weight.

Give yourself bad breath
In addition to lowering cholesterol and helping to fight off infection, eating garlic may help limit damage to your heart after a heart attack or heart surgery.

Researchers in India found that animals who were fed garlic regularly had more heart-protecting antioxidants in their blood than animals that were not.

Snack on nuts
Harvard researchers found that men who replaced 127 calories of carbohydrates decreased their risk of heart disease
by 30 per cent.

Source: The Times Of India

Related articles
css.php