Who does your heart beat for?

Check in on your heart health with a quick assessment to determine your risk factors for developing heart disease.

Take the assessment
 

Cardiac services

The diagnostic heart care we provide at Mercy Medical Center is mostly non-invasive, which means the procedures do not break the skin.

Cardiac diagnostic services

  • Electrocardiogram — checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart.
  • Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) diagnostics — used to diagnose whether or not there’s an opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart.
  • Transthoracic echocardiogram — a type of ultrasound to evaluate how your heart muscle and valves are working.
  • Exercise stress test — monitors how your heart functions while exercising or under exertion.
  • Nuclear medication scan — identifies damaged heart muscle, shows how blood flows to the heart, and how the heart pumps blood out to your body.

Cardiac catheterization lab

Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure that allows doctors to study the heart and surrounding blood vessels. One or more thin, flexible tubes are inserted through a blood vessel in the arm or leg to record blood flow, calculate cardiac output, and evaluate the heart’s electrical activity.

 

Cardiac catheterization lab procedures

  • Cardiac catheterization
  • Angioplasty/Stenting
  • Peripheral angiogram
  • Permanent pacemaker insertion
  • Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
  • Loop recorder implantation

Complex procedures

  • Biopsies and draining fluid build-up around the heart
  • Vascular procedures in the arteries and veins of the arms and legs 

PCI and angioplasty

During angioplasty, a catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin or the wrist. With X-ray guidance, your doctor will move this thin tube up to the diseased coronary artery. He or she will inject a dye to better visualize the artery. Once the catheter reaches the blockage, a small balloon is inflated and pushes the plaque aside while adding a stent in place. This opens the coronary artery to increase blood flow to the heart muscle.

A cardiologist will perform your angioplasty in a cardiac catheterization lab (Cath lab) at Mercy Medical Center. You will be sedated and comfortable during the procedure.

Risks of angioplasty include problems with the dye, blood vessel damage, irregular heartbeat, stroke, heart attack, and possibly emergency heart surgery. These risks occur infrequently, but you should be aware of this possibility.

Icon of a clipboard, pencil, and checklist

At risk for heart disease?

Heart disease comes in many forms and can affect people of any age, gender, or ethnicity. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The more you can learn about your heart health, the better. Knowledge is truly powerful medicine that helps you understand your risks and take action to lessen your potential for problems. It can lead to early detection, and most importantly, to early treatment and better outcomes.

Take this quick assessment to:

  • Understand symptoms, causes, and types of heart disease
  • Determine your risk factors for developing heart disease
  • Learn which lifestyle factors can increase or decrease your risk
Take the assessment

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation is a program of heart specific exercise and education that is designed to assist you in resuming a healthy lifestyle.

Mercy Outpatient Center
Therapy Services
2740 M Street 
Merced, CA 95340

Learn more about our Cardiac Rehabilitation program.  

Safety alert: iPhone 12

Apple iPhone 12 models and MagSafe Accessories may cause interference with some medical devices including pacemakers and defibrillators when not kept at a safe distance. Apple MagSafe accessories are wireless magnetic charging systems, including wireless chargers that attach magnetically to iPhone devices, cases with built-in components, wallets with built-in components, and leather sleeves with built-in components.

Learn more:

Let's have a heart-to heart.
Get cardiology-related content directly to your inbox.