Electrocardiogram Computed Tomography (CT) Scan Dialysis machine MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) Ultrasound Machine Radiography Laparoscopy

Is a simple, painless test that records the heart's electrical activity. With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. As it travels, the signal causes the heart to contract and pump blood. The process repeats with each new heartbeat. An EKG shows:
How fast your heart is beating Whether the rhythm of your heartbeat is steady or irregular The strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of your heart

Doctors use EKGs to detect and study many heart problems, such as heart attacks, arrhythmias, and heart failure .

An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is done to: Check the heart's electrical activity. Find the cause of unexplained chest pain, which could be caused by a heart attack, inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis), or angina. Find the cause of symptoms of heart disease such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or rapid, irregular heartbeats (palpitations). Find out if the walls of the heart chambers are too thick (hypertrophied). Check how well medicines are working and whether they are causing side effects that affect the heart. Check how well mechanical devices that are implanted in the heart, such as pacemakers, are working to control a normal heartbeat. Check the health of the heart when other diseases or conditions are present, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes, or a family history of early heart disease.

A computed tomography (CT) scan uses x-ray to make detailed pictures of structures inside of the body. During the test, you will lie on a table that is attached to the CT scanner. The CT scanner sends X-rays through the body area being studied. Each rotation of the scanner provides a picture of a thin slice of the organ or area. All of the pictures are saved as a group on a computer. In some cases, a dye called contrast material may be used. It will be put in a vein, or it may be placed into other parts of your body (such as the rectum or a joint) to see those areas better. For some types of CT scans you drink the dye. The dye makes structures and organs easier to see on the CT pictures. A CT scan can be used to study all parts of your body, such as the chest, belly, pelvis, arms or legs. It can take pictures of body organs, such as: liver, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, lung, heart. It also can study blood vessels, bones, and the spinal cord.

CT scans are used to study areas of the body and the arms or legs. Chest (thorax). A CT scan of the chest can look for problems with the lungs, heart, esophagus, the major blood vessel, or the tissues in the center of the chest. Some common chest problems a CT scan may find include infection, lung cancer, a pulmonary embolism, and an aneurysm. Abdomen. A CT scan of the abdomen can find cysts, abscesses, infection, tumors, an aneurysm, enlarged lymph nodes, foreign objects, bleeding in the belly and appendicitis. Urinary tract. A CT scan of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder is called a CT KUB or CT urogram. This type of scan can find kidney stones, bladder stones, or blockage of the urinary tract. Liver. A CT scan can find liver tumors, bleeding from the liver, and liver diseases. A CT scan of the liver can help determine the cause of jaundice. Gallbladder and bile ducts. A CT scan can be used to check for blockage of the bile ducts. Gallstones occasionally show up on a CT scan. But other tests, such as ultrasound, usually are used to find problems with the gallbladder and bile ducts. Adrenal glands. A CT scan can find tumors or enlarged adrenal glands. Arm or leg. A CT scan can look for problems of the arms or legs, including the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle, or foot.

Is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is used primarily to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure Dialysis works on the principles of the diffusion of solutes and ultrafiltration of fluid across a semi-permeable membrane. Diffusion is a property of substances in water; substances in water tend to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. Smaller solutes and fluid pass through the membrane, but the membrane blocks the passage of larger substances (for example, red blood cells, large proteins). This replicates the filtering process that takes place in the kidneys, when the blood enters the kidneys and the larger substances are separated from the smaller ones in the glomerulus. Types

Hemodialysis Peritoneal dialysis Hemofiltration Hemodiafiltration Intestinal dialysis

During hemodialysis, you will be hooked up to a machine that takes over the kidneys' job of filtering blood. Before the first session, the doctor will need to create an entrance into one of your blood vessels so your body can be connected to the filtering machine during each visit. This is called a vascular access. It is a place on your body where blood can be removed and then returned. This can be done by:

You may need temporary or permanent access. The type of access and how long you need it depends on your individual condition. Experts recommend creating an access weeks or months before your first dialysis session so it has a chance to heal properly before using it. During a hemodialysis session, your blood flows a little bit at a time through a special filter inside the machine. The filter removes wastes and extra fluids from your blood, but retains the proper balance of minerals such as potassium and sodium. Once the blood is cleaned, it is returned to the body. Patients often need dialysis treatments several times a week. How long each hemodialysis session lasts depends on:
How well your kidneys work How much fluid you gained since your last dialysis session How much waste has gathered in your blood since your last dialysis session The type of hemodialysis machine being used

Connecting an artery to a vein to create a larger blood vessel area, called a fistula Joining (grafting) an artery and vein together using a soft plastic tube Inserting a thin plastic tube into a large vein in the neck or groin area of the leg; this type of access is temporary.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. MRI also may show problems that cannot be seen with other imaging methods. For an MRI test, the area of the body being studied is placed inside a special machine that contains a strong magnet. Pictures from an MRI scan are digital images that can be saved and stored on a computer for more study. In some cases, contrast material may be used during the MRI scan to show certain structures more clearly

MRI is done for many reasons. It is used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infection. MRI also may be done to provide more information about a problem seen on an X-ray, ultrasound scan, or CT scan. Contrast material may be used during MRI to show abnormal tissue more clearly. An MRI scan can be done for the: Head. MRI can look at the brain for tumors, bleeding in the brain, nerve injury, and other problems, such as damage caused by a stroke. MRI can also find problems of the eyes and optic nerves, and the ears and auditory nerves. Chest. MRI of the chest can look at the heart, the valves, and coronary blood vessels. It can show if the heart or lungs are damaged. MRI of the chest may also be used to look for breast or lung cancer. Blood vessels. Using MRI to look at blood vessels and the flow of blood through them is called magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). It can find problems of the arteries and veins, such as an aneurysm, a blocked blood vessel, or the torn lining of a blood vessel (dissection). Sometimes contrast material is used to see the blood vessels more clearly. Abdomen and pelvis. MRI can find problems in the organs and structures in the belly, such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder. It is used to find tumors, bleeding, infection, and blockage.

Ultrasound is a cyclic sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the human hearing range. Medical sonography is an ultrasound-based diagnostic medical imaging technique used to visualize muscles, tendons, and many internal organs, to capture their size, structure and any pathological lesions with real time tomographic images. Ultrasound has been used by radiologists and sonographers to image the human body for at least 50 years and has become a widely used diagnostic tool.

A Doppler ultrasound test uses reflected sound waves to see how blood flows through a blood vessel. It helps doctors evaluate blood flow through major arteries and veins, such as those of the arms, legs, and neck. It can show blocked or reduced blood flow through narrowing in the major arteries of the neck that could cause a stroke. It also can reveal blood clots in leg veins (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) that could break loose and block blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). During Doppler ultrasound, a handheld instrument (transducer) is passed lightly over the skin above a blood vessel. The transducer sends and receives sound waves that are amplified through a microphone. The sound waves bounce off solid objects, including blood cells. The movement of blood cells causes a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves (called the Doppler effect). If there is no blood flow, the pitch does not change. Information from the reflected sound waves can be processed by a computer to provide graphs or pictures that represent the flow of blood through the blood vessels.

Fetal ultrasound is a test done during pregnancy that uses reflected sound waves to produce a picture of a fetus, the organ that nourishes the fetus (placenta), and the liquid that surrounds the fetus (amniotic fluid). The picture is displayed on a TV screen and may be in black and white or in color. The pictures are also called a sonogram, echogram, or scan, and they may be saved as part of your baby's record. Fetal ultrasound is the safest way to check for problems and get information about your fetus, such as its size and position. It does not use X-rays or other types of radiation that may harm your fetus. It can be done as early as the 5th week of pregnancy. The sex of your fetus can sometimes be determined by about the 18th week of pregnancy. For more information, see: A combination of screening tests using ultrasound may be done in the first trimester to look for Down syndrome. The integrated test uses an ultrasound measurement of the thickness of the skin at the back of the baby's neck and the blood levels of free beta-HCG and a protein called pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) to check for problems.

A radiography is an X-ray image obtained by placing a part of the patient in front of an X-ray detector and then illuminating it with a short X-ray pulse. Radiographs are useful in the detection of pathology of the skeletal system as well as for detecting some disease in soft tissue. Some examples are the very common chest X-ray, which can be used to identify lung diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer or pulmonary edema. In abdominal X-ray, we can detect intestinal obstruction, free air (from visceral perforations) and free fluid (in ascites). X-rays may also be used to detect pathology such as gallstones or kidney stones. Dental radiography is commonly used in the diagnoses of oral problems, such as cavities.

Laparoscopy is a surgery that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a cut (incision) in the belly to look at the abdominal organs .Laparoscopy is used to find problems such as cysts, adhesions, fibroids , and infection. Tissue samples can be taken for biopsy through the tube (laparoscope). In many cases laparoscopy can be done instead of laparotomy (surgery that uses a larger incision in the belly). Laparoscopy can be less stressful and may have less problems than laparotomy for minor surgeries. It can often be done without needing to stay overnight in the hospital. Why It Is Done Check for and possibly abnormal growths (tumors) in the belly or pelvis. Check for and treat conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). See whether cancer in another area of the body has spread to the belly. Check for damage to internal organs, such as the spleen, after an injury or accident. Fix a hiatal hernia or an inguinal hernia. Take out organs, such as the uterus, spleen or appendix(appendectomy). Partial removal (resection) of the colon also can be done. Find the cause of sudden or ongoing pelvic pain.

What Is an Electrocardiogram? . October 2010. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health//dci/Diseases/ekg/ekg_what.html Electrocardiogram. 18 March 2010. http://www.webmd.com/heartdisease/electrocardiogram Healthwise Staff, Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of the Body . 13 June 2011. http://www.cigna.com/individualandfamilies/health-and-well-being/hw/medicaltests/computed-tomography-scan-of-the-body-hw233596.html Dialysis. 7 December 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialysis_therapy Healthwise Staff , Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Machine. 16 May 2011. http://www.webmd.com/brain/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri-machine Ultrasound. 6 December 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_sound Fetal Ultrasound. 21 June 2012. http://www.webmd.com/baby/fetal-ultrasound Doppler Ultrasound. 4 December 2012.http://www.webmd.com/a-to-zguides/doppler-ultrasound X-Ray. 5 December 2012 . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray Healthwise Staff, Laparoscopy. June 29, 2010.http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/laparoscopy-16156 Kidney Dialysis. 4 September 2012. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-zguides/kidney-dialysis