Total Heart Examination

The total heart examination is the most comprehensive cardiology examination in Serbia and the region, created by an interdisciplinary team of experts from the Pulse cardiology center. It was created in response to the fact that the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, especially among the younger population, is growing year by year both in our country and in the world. Namely, every third adult has high blood pressure, and everyone has coronary heart disease or angina pectoris.

In Serbia, more than 50,000 people die from cardiovascular diseases every year. Such statistics can change, but for this, regular and comprehensive heart examinations are necessary, as well as people’s awareness of the fact that they must go for examination regularly.

About 80 percent of premature deaths and more than 50 percent of heart attacks and strokes could have been prevented with regular preventive cardiac examinations, research shows.

A total heart exam includes:

• Cardiologist examination
• Blood test
• ECG
• Ultrasound of the heart
• Holter ECG or BP Holter
• Load test
• CT – Calcium score
• CT coronarography

PACKAGE PRICE: 47.400 dinars

Who should do a Total heart examination?

The complete heart evaluation is intended for all persons over the age of 30, even those younger, because the number of cardiovascular diseases has drastically increased among the younger population. Not only adults but also young people suffer from cardiovascular diseases. The most common are congenital heart defects, and an increasing group of acquired diseases, which are most common in adolescence: high blood pressure, obesity, rapid heart rate. Complete heart evaluation is also intended for people who are known to have heart disease or have a family history of heart disease or those who have other risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, inactivity, stress, obesity, etc.

What is exactly a complete heart evaluation?

A complete heart evaluation is a package that includes a cardiac examination and certain diagnostic procedures. If you choose a Total heart evaluation, you will undergo the following tests: cardiovascular risk assessment, complete blood tests, ECG, heart ultrasound and Ergometry, ECG or BP Holter monitoring, CT Calcium score and CT coronarography.

Complete blood test

Your blood provides many clues about the health of your heart. For example, high levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood may be a sign that you have an increased risk of heart attack. Other substances in your blood can also help your doctor determine if you have heart failure or are at risk of developing fatty deposits (plaque) in your arteries (atherosclerosis).

It is important to remember that just one blood test does not determine the risk of heart disease. The most important risk factors for heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Here is an overview of the basic laboratory blood tests we use at the Pulse Cardiology Center, for the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases:

Complete blood count with leukocytes – CBC, CRP, Sedimentation, Glycemia, Urea, Creatinine, Cholesterol, AST, ALT, GGT, Sodium, Potassium and others if needed.

Risk testing for cardiovascular disease

At the Pulse Cardiology Center, the foundation of preventive cardiology begins with knowing the patient’s basic risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). After assessing the risk factors, the doctor informs the patient about the best ways to reduce the risk, whether it is a matter of lifestyle management or a decision on the inclusion and intensity of pharmacological therapy.

The Pulse Cardiology Center performs a cardiovascular risk assessment for:

• Diabetes
• Cholesterol
• Obesity
• Hypertension

ECG – Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphical record of the electrical activity of the heart. Electrocardiography is a fast, painless and non-invasive method that registers the electrical activity of the heart, and the device that makes the graphic record is called an electrocardiograph. This method can detect various heart diseases. Recording takes a few minutes and the result is available immediately.

Ultrasound of the heart – ECHO 

Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart) has become a routine procedure for diagnosing and monitoring patients with heart disease. It is also one of the most commonly used diagnostic procedures in cardiology. This method can provide a large amount of information including the size and shape of the heart, the location and size of damage to the heart tissue, the appearance of heart valves.

Ergometry – heart load test

A stress test or stress load, also called ergometry, is a procedure that determines how well your heart and blood vessels are working. During ergometry, you will exercise on the stationary bike while your doctor monitors your blood pressure and heart rate. When the pulse reaches its maximum level, the doctor will take ultrasound images of the heart to determine if the heart muscles are getting enough blood and oxygen while you exercise.

The heart is an extremely important organ of the human body. Taking good care of your heart will probably increase your life expectancy.

Holter monitoring – ECG

A test usually done after a basic exam to check the heart’s rhythm, especially if the ECG didn’t give the doctor enough information about the heart’s rhythm.

BP Holter – holter monitoring of blood pressure

Hypertension is the most common risk factor in the development of coronary disease and in general damage to target organs: the heart, brain, kidneys and all blood vessels. Increased blood pressure is therefore called the number one “killer” in the modern world for a reason. Our suggestion is that you don’t let them prescribe you a medicine without doing a 24-hour blood pressure holter. Monitoring of patients treated for hypertension with 24-hour Holter monitoring is mandatory, because significant number of “well-controlled” patients have essentially unregulated hypertension.

Calcium score (Ca score)

A heart scanner (MSCT) for assessing the calcium score is a non-invasive way of obtaining information about the presence, location, and extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries – the vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood.

CT coronarography

An angiogram is an exam that uses an intravenous iodine contrast agent and a CT scan to examine the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle and determine whether they are narrowed. The main advantage of a CT scan is that it can see bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels at the same time. For this reason, a CT scan is suitable for identifying other reasons for your discomfort, such as an injury to the aorta or a blood clot in the pulmonary arteries.

Advantages of regular cardiac examination

Many heart conditions and their risk factors can go undetected without regular heart checkups and health checkups. Preventive health care can help you and your doctors to keep you in good health and find potential health problems before they develop into something more serious. With regular heart checkups you can:

• Detect conditions or diseases early
• Reduce your chances of getting sick
• Seek the right treatment quickly
• Improve overall health
• Create a picture of your health over time
• Reduce overall health care costs
• Find out the latest medical information and technologies
• Create a better relationship with your doctor