Simply put, nuclear cardiology is a subspecialty of non-invasive cardiology, which aims to assess how efficiently the blood within a given person flows throughout their body, through the use of stress tests.
What are stress tests, and how do they work?
Myocardial perfusion scans, also known as nuclear stress tests, are a type of imaging test that shows how smoothly blood is flowing through the heart. The efficiency of the heart can be observed through this test. The test itself has multiple components, which begin with the injection of a radioactive isotope, called "Technetium-99m". The injection itself is usually administered through a vein within the arm, and is followed by about 15 minutes of waiting. After that, 2 scans will be taken. One of them will be used to view blood-flow to different hemispheres of the heart during exercise, and the other during rest. The two tests are scanned by a large imaging machine that is used to visualize the isotopes within the blood flowing through the heart, in order to show every detail of how efficient the circulation is.
What do the results show?
The images that are developed by the scans depict the accumulation of blood in the heart. It is of the utmost importance that a cardiologist, lab technician, or any other individual trained to read and understand these tests looks for lack of blood flow to any part of the heart. The smallest detail in a single image can be used to prevent a particular disease from forming or getting worse, and can ensure that the cardiac muscle remains functional and does not die.
What can be done with the information gained with these tests?
Cardiologists and lab technicians can use the information gathered from the images to determine a diagnosis for a given patient. A lack of blood flow to a chamber of the heart can help point out dying cardiac muscle, which cannot regenerate due to the inability of cardiac cells to regenerate after dying, instead leading to scarring. The scar tissue in place of healthy cardiac muscle will lead to a weaker heart that is less efficient at its job of pumping blood throughout the body. Diagnosing an issue of this caliber early can lead to prevention of cardiac muscle death and diseases like coronary artery disease, which currently stands as the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the United States.
What does it take to become a nuclear cardiology professional?
A person pursuing a deeper understanding in nuclear cardiology may choose to work as a nuclear cardiology lab technician, or a cardiologist (heart doctor), who specializes in non-invasive procedures, including nuclear cardiology. The path for a nuclear cardiology lab technician is relatively straight-forward; complete an associates degree in a related field, including biology, chemistry, physics, or another general scientific study. After that, at least one year of work experience within an actual nuclear cardiology lab. Finally, 3-6 months of on-site training and 3-6 months of on-the-job training. A nuclear cardiologist has a longer path in order to become properly trained in their field. The standard pathway for a general non-invasive cardiologist would be; work towards a 4 year undergraduate degree that takes on the pre-medicine requirements. After that, 4 years in medical school. Afterwards, residency in internal medicine, which can take around 3 years. Additionally, a fellowship in cardiology, to specialize in subspecialties like none-invasive, preventative, and nuclear cardiology, which can vary in overall time. Board certification is the final step in the path. Overall, nuclear cardiology is a very fascinating field of study that requires critical thinking and keen observation, and can be used to help save countless lives.
Sources:
Title Image (Myheart.net)
Stress Test (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
Stress Test (National Library of Medicine)
Technetium-99m (Wikipedia)
Stress Test Scan Image (Thoracic Key)
Cardiac Tissue Death (Science Daily)
Nuclear Cardiology Careers (American Society of Nuclear Cardiology)
Nuclear Cardiology Lab Technician Education (Zippia)
https://www.zippia.com/nuclear-cardiology-technologist-jobs/ Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board