Cardiac Centre Uses PADnet Technology

Since it is Heart Month and this Sunday is Valentine’s Day (the heart’s big day), we thought we would talk a bit more about heart health and especially our technology that we use to help treat your heart.

Our Cardiac Centre is devoted exclusively to caring for your heart. They assist in diagnosing potential heart complications with treadmill stress testing, nuclear medicine stress testing, pacemaker checks, echocardiograms and electrocardiograms. The staff is also able to provide the patient with monitors that record the electrical activity of the heart for 24 or 48 hr or for longer, as the physician has ordered.

One of our most unique pieces of equipment is the PADnet.

What is PADnet?

We’ve probably all seen the commercials on TV that talk about Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.). PADnet is the tool used to diagnose this disease.

In the United States, more than eight million Americans suffer from P.A.D., a disease that causes a hardening of the arteries. Symptoms of this disease include ankle swelling, fatigue, tiredness, or pain in your legs, thighs or buttocks. If these symptoms occur when you walk and go away when you rest, this could be a warning sign of more serious problems. Other signs and symptoms include a wound that seems to be healing poorly, an injury to the lower limb or foot that involves blood vessels or if the toes and feet are discolored.

There is a strong correlation between P.A.D. and Coronary Artery Disease. So having a PADnet test done if you experience these symptoms is a very beneficial step in preventing serious problems like heart attack or stroke.

How does the test work?

It is a simple test to do. The patient will be asked to lie down on the exam table. Pressure cuffs will be wrapped snugly around your arms, above knees, calves and ankles. The technician will inflate the cuffs, and the sensors in the machine will record the pulse waves that correspond to each beat of your heart. The readings will help determine your risk for heart disease and will help guide your provider in finding the right course of treatment if they determine that you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

What should someone do if they think they might have these symptoms?

If you experience aches and pains in your legs, do not ignore them. Contact one of our physicians or health care providers and ask about whether the PADnet test is right for you. You are also welcome to contact the Cardiac Centre with questions you might have about the test. They would be happy to help explain this in more detail if you’re interested. Karen Schuiteman is the RN and Supervisor at the Centre. You can contact her at 722-8333. You can also visit our website at www.schospital.org and click on services link to find the Cardiac Centre.