Cardiac Blood Pool Scan

Ejection Fraction Study, Gated Cardiac Scan, MUGA Scan, Radionuclide Angiography, Scan, Cardiac Blood Pool, Wall Motion Study

How To Prepare

Before having a cardiac blood pool scan, tell your health professional if you:

• Are allergic to any medicines.
• Are or might be pregnant.
• Have recently had any test that uses a radioactive tracer, such as a bone scan or thyroid scan.
• Have a pacemaker or other metal devices, such as spinal fixation rods, in your chest. These devices may make it difficult to obtain clear pictures of the blood flow through the heart.

You may be asked not to eat or drink for 4 hours before the test. You should not have any caffeine or smoke for 4 to 6 hours before the test.

If testing will include exercise, you should wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

Many medicines may affect the results of this test. Be sure to tell your health professional about all the nonprescription and prescription medicines you take.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?) .

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: August 21, 2009
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
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