How We Can Help

Heart Health Begins Here

At South Bay Family Medical Group we provide you with the tools needed to fight America’s # 1 preventative illness, heart disease.

Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices. Our heart services include non-invasive diagnostic testing heart disease. We provide the latest in cardiovascular testing.

Testing Options Include:

Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) Prodedure and Testing
We provide our patients with an ultrasound procedure that is a non-invasive, safe, convenient technique for detecting atherosclerosis before signs and symptoms occur. Our advanced testing provides information by detecting the extent of Arteriosclerosis Disease in the arterial walls. Your doctor may then prescribe therapies and recommend lifestyle modifications to help stop or reverse this precursor of heart disease. Since the Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) procedure is repeatable, over time it can be valuable in measuring treatment effectiveness and lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

What to Expect: Carotid Intima Media Thickness Test
This ultrasound procedure is a non-invasive, safe, convenient technique for detecting atherosclerosis before signs and symptoms occur. The CIMT procedure takes approximately twenty minutes for a trained and licensed ultrasound technologist to perform. The procedure is painless and there is no discomfort while the technologist scans the right and left carotid arteries with an ultrasound sensor device. There is no exposure to radiation at any time during the procedure. Once the procedure is done, the technologist will generate a detailed printed report for your physician to review. In addition, a similar report is mailed to you for your personal review. If your doctor determines from the procedure that measurements of your carotid artery walls indicate plaque build-up beyond safe limits, a follow-up office visit may be necessary to discuss life style changes and/or medication options to control plaque build up.

As the CIMT procedure is still considered a new diagnostic procedure, it may not be covered by your insurance plan. Therefore, the procedure is on a cash basis only. Our cash price is $295.00. Also, a follow-up visit with your physician may be necessary to discuss the results of the procedure and a treatment plan to control arterial plaque buildup.

Below are some of the risk factors for vascular disease that may prompt you or your doctor to request a CIMT:

• Family history of heart disease or stroke
• Overweight
• Physical inactivity
• Age 40 or older
• High fat diet
• Tobacco use
• Elevated triglycerides
• High LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Low HDL (good) cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Menopausal
• Diabetic
• Metabolic syndrome
• Steroid use

Echocardiograph Testing
At South Bay Family Medical Group we use echocardiography technology to gather much needed information about your heart.

An echocardiography is used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases. In fact, it is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease. It is a procedure in which ultrasound is used to examine the heart.

It can provide a wealth of helpful information, including the size and shape of the heart, its pumping capacity and the location and extent of any damage to its tissues. It is especially useful for assessing diseases of the heart valves. It not only allows doctors to evaluate the heart valves, but it can detect abnormalities in the pattern of blood flow, such as the backward flow of blood through partly closed heart valves, known as regurgitation. By assessing the motion of the heart wall, echocardiography can help detect the presence and/or assess the severity of coronary artery disease, as well as help determine whether any chest pain is related to heart disease. Echocardiography is a non-invasive procedure and has no known risks or side effects.

What to Expect: Echocardiogram Testing
Prior to the procedure, the patient partially disrobes to the waist and is covered by a privacy gown. The patient then lies on his/her back on a special exam table, designed for echo procedures. Electrodes are attached to specific areas on the patient's chest to record a continuous electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG). The technician then applies a colorless gel to the top of a specially designed transducer which is placed on the patient's chest. The technician uses the transducer to obtain images through different areas of the chest. The patient may also be asked by the technician to move from his/her back to lie on either side or breathe slowly or hold his/her breath, which helps obtain high quality images. The technician will view the images on a monitor to assist in the proper movement of the transducer.

Exercise Stress Testing:
Exercise Stress Testing Exercise stress testing evaluates the heart in response to stress. It can compare an individual's exercise capacity and heart rate compared to other people. Furthermore, if the heart beat becomes irregular under stress and detects abnormal electrical changes that may indicate that the heart is not getting enough blood flow.

What to Expect: Exercise Treadmill Stress Test:
The patient is taken to an exam room and asked to disrobe from the waste up and are given a gown. The medical assistant places electrodes on the patient's chest/torso area and checks three blood pressure types: lying (supine), standing and hyperventilation.

An EKG prints out a report after each blood pressure testing. Your primary care doctor enters the treadmill exam room to begin the testing. The patient steps onto the treadmill and the doctor monitors the EKG throughout the test time. The purpose is to have the patient meet their max heart rate, in order to see if the patient has cardiac symptoms while performing the treadmill test. Every three minutes the treadmill increases in speed while slowly inclining.

• The average time that the patient is on the treadmill is 5 to 12 minutes.
• The speed and incline is adjusted to suit patients who have trouble walking/running fast.

Once the patient has met their max heart rate, the doctor stops the treadmill and the patient is able to rest. The doctor monitors the patient, by checking a blood pressure every 1 1/2 minute, the average time is under 5 minutes. The treadmill is interpreted by the physician.

All procedures are directed by the guidance of your South Bay Family Medical Group primary care physician.

Click here to read more about our skilled primary care physicians.