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Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing and hardening of the arteries in the leg that is caused by a build up of plaque within the walls of the arteries. Lower extremity peripheral artery disease is a common disease that decreases blood flow in the arteries to the legs and feet. This condition can restrict blood flow and cause discomfort or pain for patients when walking, it can diminish quality of life and independence. It can lead to gangrene and may eventually lead to amputation, stroke or heart attack. Most people with peripheral artery disease do not experience any symptoms and may be completely unaware that they have this condition.
At Manhattan CardioVascular Diagnostics patients can be screened for this condition through a painless test called the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI), which places blood pressure cuffs on the arms and ankles, and then measures the difference between blood pressure in the two locations. This difference is converted into a ratio that can identify if a patient is at an increased risk for peripheral artery disease. In addition to screening for peripheral artery disease, the ABI can also determine the severity or progress of the disease if it has already been diagnosed.
Peripheral venous disease involves damage, defects, or blockage in the peripheral veins. Varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency are two of the most common peripheral venous diseases. Blood clots are the most common cause for this disease. Some patients will feel pain where the blood clot is located or notice an area of redness and swelling over the affected area. Checking a patient's blood pressure and heart rate can usually tell you if they have a blood clot, but sometimes additional tests are needed.
Patients can go through a non-invasive doppler ultrasound imaging test at Manhattan CardioVascular Diagnostics in order to see if there is any blockage in their veins.
We are proud to offer expert Holter monitoring services, including portable monitoring units and professional result interpretations with swift turnaround. Not only do our state-of-the-art 3-lead digital Holter monitors allow physicians to offer their patients in-office EKG monitoring, they can also be taken home to obtain recordings of 24 hours or longer.
At Manhattan CardioVascular Diagnostics we offer the electrocardiogram or EKG testing for patients which measures the electrical activity of the heart and translates it into waves on paper for a doctor to analyze. An EKG can be used to determine:
- The cause of chest pain or other heart disease symptoms in a patient
- How well the patient's heart medications are working
- If the walls of the patient's heart are too thick
- How well mechanical devices such as pacemakers are working
- Check the overall health of the patient's heart that is affected by other diseases
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