A left ventricular function study evaluates blood flow in the heart and the pumping function of the heart at rest. This exam is used to accurately determine the ejection fraction from the left ventricle.
2 hours
- Take your medication as per usual. There is no specific preparation for the exam.
- Have an updated list of your medications on hand when you make the appointment and when you come in for the exam.
- Inform the care team if you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are currently breastfeeding.
First, the technologist injects a product that binds to the red blood cells and prepares the blood to receive the radioactive tracer. This injection is followed by a waiting period of approximately 30 minutes.
The patient is then taken to a room where the first part of the exam will take place. The radioactive tracer is then injected.
This set of images takes approximately 40 minutes. Patients lie down on a stretcher, and electrodes are placed on the chest to monitor the heart rate. The camera comes close to the torso to acquire the images.
Once this part is finished, patients are taken to another camera that also moves around them. The technologist remains in the room throughout the exam.
- You can resume your normal activities after the scan. The exam result is sent to your treating physician.
- If you are planning a trip outside of the country in the weeks following the exam and will have to go through AIR OR GROUND customs, it is important to advise the technologist. The presence of a radioactive tracer in your body may be detected at customs. You will therefore be given a document to confirm that you underwent a nuclear medicine exam.