# Heart tests in El Paso Desert Imaging does heart tests at all five El Paso centers, with an EKG at every one. Echo is at West and East, calcium score at West, East and Central, and stress tests and cardiac PET at Central. ## What it is An EKG, electrocardiogram, records the electrical activity of your heart through small pads on your chest, arms and legs. It is quick and needs no preparation. An echocardiogram, or echo, is an ultrasound of the heart. It shows the chambers, valves and heart wall moving, in 2D and with Doppler, and helps your doctor diagnose and follow heart problems. A stress test looks at how your heart handles work, and helps find out whether chest pain or other symptoms are related to heart disease. First an echo at rest, then you walk on a treadmill until your heart rate reaches its target, then another echo at peak. It shows how the heart wall moves under stress. It does not picture the coronary arteries themselves. A nuclear stress test does the same with a tracer and a gamma camera, at rest and under exercise or a medication. Coronary calcium scoring is a quick CT of the heart that counts calcium in the coronary arteries. Healthy arteries have none, so a score can point to early coronary disease. It is a self-pay exam. Cardiac PET with ammonia measures blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and under stress, with less radiation than a standard nuclear stress test. **Good to know:** These tests show how the heart is working. They do not replace a visit to your doctor or a cardiologist, who orders the test and explains the result. ## Where to get it - [West](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/west/heart-tests): 122 W. Castellano Dr., El Paso, TX 79912. EKG, 2D echo, coronary calcium score. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Closed Sunday. - [Central](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/central/heart-tests): 7812 Gateway Blvd. East, Suite 120, El Paso, TX 79915. Stress test, EKG, coronary calcium score. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Saturday. Closed Sunday. - [East](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/lee-trevino/heart-tests): 1727 Lee Trevino Dr., El Paso, TX 79935. EKG, 2D echo, coronary calcium score. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Closed Sunday. - [Joe Battle](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/joe-battle/heart-tests): 3080 Joe Battle Blvd., Suite B, El Paso, TX 79938. EKG. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Closed Sunday. - [Horizon City](https://desertimagingcenters.com/locations/horizon-city/heart-tests): 13650 Eastlake Blvd., Suite A-102, Horizon City, TX 79928. EKG. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.. Closed Sunday. ## What to expect For an EKG, echo or calcium score, wear loose clothing and come as you are. For a treadmill stress test, do not eat or drink for 3 hours before, water is fine, and wear shoes and clothes you can walk in. Ask your doctor about holding beta blockers for 48 hours and calcium channel blockers for 24 hours before, and do not stop them on your own. For a nuclear stress test, nothing to eat after midnight, no caffeine or decaf, no gum, and no blood pressure medication that morning, but bring it to take afterward. If you cannot walk on the treadmill, a medication stresses the heart instead. The report goes to the doctor who ordered the test and to your patient portal. **How long it takes:** Varies by test. Most cardiac PET exams take less than an hour. ## Exams we perform From our physician order form. Your doctor names the exact study on the order. - EKG, electrocardiogram - 2D echocardiogram - Treadmill stress test, stress echo - Nuclear stress test - Coronary calcium score, self-pay - Cardiac PET/CT with 13N ammonia ## How to prepare From our preparation sheet. Your appointment confirmation carries the instructions for your exact study. ### EKG and echocardiogram - No preparation required. - Wear loose, comfortable clothing. ### Stress test - The sheet says: consult your physician about going off beta blockers for 48 hours and calcium channel blockers for 24 hours before the exam. - Do not eat or drink for 3 hours before your appointment. Water is OK. - Wear comfortable clothes for exercise and walking shoes. - If you are unable to exercise on the treadmill, a medication will be given to stress your heart. ### Cardiac PET/CT and calcium score - Follow the PET/CT preparation for a cardiac PET/CT. Most cardiac PET exams take less than one hour. - The calcium score is done on the CT scanner. Follow the CT preparation. ## Common questions ### Which center does my heart test? It depends on the test. EKG is at every center. Echo, stress tests, calcium scoring and cardiac PET are each at specific centers, listed on this page. Your order names the test, and we tell you where to go when you book. ### Do I stop my medication before a stress test? Only if your doctor says so. Beta blockers are often held for 48 hours and calcium channel blockers for 24 hours before a treadmill test, and blood pressure medication is held the morning of a nuclear stress test. Ask the doctor who prescribed them, and bring the medication with you to take afterward. ### Is a calcium score covered by insurance? It is a self-pay exam. Ask us for the price when you book. ### Why would my doctor order cardiac PET instead of a regular stress test? It is more accurate for some patients: large body size or a large chest, breast implants, a poor-quality earlier stress test, when exercise is not possible, or when the doctor needs an answer quickly. It uses less radiation than a standard nuclear stress test. ## Ready to book? Request an appointment online and bring your doctor's order. We take it from there. - [Request an appointment](https://eforms.abbadox.com/240384671438865) - Call (915) 577-0100