This can show doctors how the heart is functioning. Sometimes the patient walks on a treadmill so the ECG pattern is recorded during physical stress. ECGs frequently are given when patients complain of chest pain. Cardiac catheterization is a technique in which a tiny tube called a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel into the heart to examine the extent of blockage. The procedure requires anesthesia, and like any surgical procedure it entails some risk.
Cardiac catheterization can help a doctor decide whether to recommend drug therapy or surgery.
There is also a simple, low-tech test to identify those at high risk of coronary artery disease. Ask your doctor to measure the difference in blood pressure at the pulse points of the elbow and the ankle. If the ankle reading is lower, a person could have hidden heart disease due to narrowed arteries. HBP detection and treatment no longer occupy a central position in the U.S. Public Health agenda, and a shift in the prescribing patterns of HBP medications, from older drugs that cost pennies a day to newer, more expensive agents may interfere with patient compliance. Other factors contributing to failure to take HBP medication as prescribed include low level of education, geographic isolation, lack of or inadequate health insurance, poor access to medical care and the cost of the medications.