CARDIOVASCULAR DIAGNOSTICS
At Watsonville Community Hospital, our cardiovascular diagnostics program offers safe, non-invasive testing that provides clear insight into your heart and blood vessels.
Advanced Cardiovascular Diagnostics Services
At Watsonville Community Hospital, we offer a full spectrum of non-invasive heart and vascular testing to support accurate diagnosis and early detection. These advanced diagnostic tools allow us to tailor treatment plans to each patient’s unique needs and intervene before more serious problems develop.
Our Services
Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization
Diagnostic cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive procedure used to evaluate heart function and diagnose various heart conditions by inserting a catheter into a blood vessel and guiding it to the heart.
Cardiac catheterization, often referred to as “heart cath,” is a diagnostic procedure that allows healthcare providers to assess how well your heart is functioning. During this procedure, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel, typically in the arm or groin, and guided to the heart. This enables doctors to visualize the heart’s chambers, valves, and blood vessels, and to measure pressures within the heart.
The primary goals of diagnostic cardiac catheterization include:
Identifying Blockages: It helps detect narrowed or blocked coronary arteries that could lead to chest pain or heart attacks.
Assessing Heart Function: The procedure can measure pressures in the heart chambers and evaluate the heart’s pumping ability.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram is a non-invasive ultrasound test that uses sound waves to create real-time images of the heart. It shows how the heart’s valves and chambers are working and helps assess blood flow through the heart.
This test is commonly used to detect:
- Valve problems (such as regurgitation or stenosis)
- Heart murmurs and abnormal rhythms
- Chamber enlargement or thickening
- Congenital heart defects
- Heart function after a heart attack or during ongoing treatment
Echocardiograms are quick, safe, and provide critical information that helps diagnose conditions early and monitor changes over time.
Calcium Scoring (CT Coronary Calcium Scan)
This quick, non-invasive CT scan measures the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries—an early indicator of plaque buildup and potential heart disease.
It’s most often used to assess heart disease risk in people without symptoms but with risk factors like:
- Family history of heart disease
- High blood pressure or cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
The scan provides a calcium score that helps predict the likelihood of a future heart attack and guides prevention strategies before symptoms appear.
Stress Testing
Stress tests assess how well your heart functions during physical exertion or medication-induced stress. You’ll either walk on a treadmill or receive a medication that mimics the effects of exercise while your heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure, and breathing are monitored. The test is safe, takes about 30–60 minutes, and helps guide diagnosis and treatment decisions.
These monitored tests help reveal problems with blood flow, heart rhythm, or overall cardiac performance that may not be visible at rest.
Stress testing is often recommended for patients with:
- Chest pain or shortness of breath
- Irregular heart rhythms
- A history of heart disease
- Risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes
Vascular Ultrasound
Vascular ultrasound is a non-invasive imaging test that uses sound waves to evaluate blood flow in the arteries and veins throughout the body. It helps detect narrowing, blockages, or blood clots in the vascular system that may lead to serious health issues.
This test is commonly used to assess:
- Leg pain or swelling
- Suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Carotid artery disease (stroke risk)