An ECG is a recording of your heart's electrical activity. Electrode patches are attached to your skin to measure the electrical impulses given off by your heart. The result is a trace that can be read by a doctor. It can give information of previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm. Depending on your history, examination and ECG, you may go on to have other tests.

Exercise Treadmill Tests are only performed at Rotorua Hospital. An ECG done when you are resting may be normal even when you have cardiovascular disease. During an exercise treadmill test (ETT) the heart is made to work harder so that if there is any narrowing of the heart blood vessels resulting in poor blood supply it is more likely to be picked up on the tracing as your heart goes faster. For this test you will walk on a treadmill while your heart is monitored. The treadmill gets progressively faster but you can stop at any time. This test is supervised and interpreted by a clinical physiologist, cardiac nurse or doctor as you go. This test is used to see if you have any evidence of cardiovascular disease and can give some idea as to how severe it might be so as to direct further tests and possible treatment.

Echocardiography is also referred to as cardiac ultrasound. This test is performed by a cardiac sonographer. It is a test that uses high frequency sound waves to generate pictures of your heart. During the test you lie on on your left side and the sonographer then moves the ultrasound probe over your chest. Gel is used to increase the conductivity of the ultrasound waves. The test is generally painless and will take 30 - 60mins. Echocardiography can help in the diagnosis of many heart problems including cardiovascular disease, previous heart attacks, valve disorders, weakened heart muscle, holes between heart chambers and fluid around the heart.

Patients that require heart valve surgery or in situations where standard echocardiography provides limited information, a more advanced study known as TOE (Trans Oesophageal Echo) is performed. The procedure is performed in CCU at Rotorua Hospital. Patients will be requested to be nil by mouth from midnight the night before, some patients will be requested to stop blood thinning medication. A spray is used to numb the back of the throat, and sedation is given to make you sleepy. The ultrasound probe is then inserted into the gullet/food pipe/oesphagus, as it sits close to the heart we get much clearer pictures to help diagnose the problem or help guide surgical decisions.

Spirometry is a test which measures the speed at which your lungs can be filled and emptied of air. It can be used to diagnose lung problems and monitor the usefulness of treatment. In order to do spirometry, you take a deep breath in and blow out as hard as you can into a hollow tube attached to a spirometer machine for 6 seconds. You will be asked to do the test at least 3 times. The whole process takes 10 -15 minutes. You may be given some inhaled medicine and asked to repeat to repeat the test to monitor if there is an improvement.

Full Lung Function tests are only performed at Rotorua Hospital. A full lung function test gives us more information about your lungs than spirometry. It measures lung volumes and the ability of your lungs to transfer gas. A Respiratory Physiologist will guide you through a number of breathing manoeuvres while breathing into our machine. Depending on the type of test your doctor has asked for it can take 15 - 45 mins.

An EEG is a test to detect abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. Cells in the brain communicate with each other via electrical activity. In an EEG, electrodes are placed on the scalp over multiple areas of the brain to detect and record the patterns of electrical activity. An EEG technician performs the test.You will be asked to lie on your back on a table or in a reclining chair. The technician will apply between 16 and 25 flat metal discs (electrodes) in different positions on your scalp. The discs are held in place with a sticky paste. Your head is not shaved for this. The electrodes are connected to a recording machine, which converts the electrical signals into a series of wavy lines that are drawn onto a moving piece of graph paper. You will need to lie still with your eyes closed because any movement can alter the results. Although having electrodes pasted onto your skin may feel strange, they only record activity and do not produce any sensation. There are no risks from this test. Your doctor may want you to stop some medications before the test. You should avoid all foods containing caffeine for 8 hours before the test. Sometimes it is necessary to sleep during the test, so you may be asked to reduce your sleep time the night before. (Most departments have a list of things to do to get ready for this test). EEGs are used to help diagnose the presence and type of epilepsy (fits/seizures), to look for causes of confusion and to assess various diseases that affect the brain. They are also used to evaluate sleep disorders and to investigate periods of unconsciousness. The test will need to be interpreted afterwards so the results will not be available at the time of the test but will be sent to the referring doctor or discussed with you at a subsequent clinic.