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Tests You May Have

• The following are some of the more common tests that could be performed on you during your hospital admission:
  
  
  • Blood work - Most often is taken from a vein, occasionally taken from an artery in your wrist or thigh
    
    
  • Intravenous - Placing a catheter in a vein (usually in your arm) to start fluid replacement or administer drugs or blood products
     
    
  • X-rays - Provides a 2-dimensional picture of a body part; limited detail but good for fractures, certain types of abdominal processes, and for lung infections or fluid in the lungs
    
    
  • CT scan - A doughnut-like machine that takes a 360° continuous images of a body segment, such as your head, chest, or abdomen (It provides greater detail than regular x-rays.)
    
    
  • MRI - A process using magnetism to provide a detailed image of the internal portion of a body segment
    
    
    • The MRI uses strong electromagnets to change the hydrogen atoms in your body.
      
      
    • When the electromagnet turns off, the hydrogen atoms revert to their original status and give off a unique signal, depending on what other atoms they are next to.
      
      
    • A very powerful computer reconstructs this signal.
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  • ECG - Used to measure the electrical activity of your heart as a sign of damaged heart muscle
    
    
  • Ultrasound - Bounces sound waves off internal body parts for a dynamic representation of that structure
    
    
  • Biopsy - Also called surgical or needle biopsy, a means to take a sample of an organ to determine disease status or diagnosis
    
    
  • Catheterization - Insertion of a tube or catheter into a vein or artery to do one of the following:
    
    
    • Obtain a biopsy
      
      
    • Inject contrast material into a blood vessel for imaging purposes (for instance, to enhance a CT scan or MRI)
      
      
    • Perform a procedure, such as a cardiac catheterization to repair blocked arteries
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  • You may require any combination of these tests plus others so your doctor can make a diagnosis.
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• Test results: You should ask your doctor the results of all test performed while you are admitted, especially these:
  
  
  • Abnormal results and what they mean
    
    
  • How the results affect your diagnosis (what disease you may have)
    
    
  • What they mean for your outcome, both short- and long-term