This page has been designed by the health care professionals of Marquette General Hospital to provide you with information about having a MUGA scan.
*WHAT IS A MUGA SCAN?
Muga
(Multi Gated Acquisition) scan is a procedure that
allows the doctor to evaluate the pumping ability of your heart. A special
camera captures the events in the heart's pumping cycle: the contraction
of the heart, followed by its relaxation.
*PREPARATION
There is no special
preparation for a MUGA scan. The scan will take approximately 1 to 2 hours.
*THE DAY OF THE TEST
When you arrive in
the Nuclear Medicine Department, the nuclear medicine technologist will
check your doctor's order for the test. Be sure to bring the doctor's
order with you to your scheduled appointment.
A small amount of blood will be drawn from your arm and mixed with an
imaging agent. After a 20 minute period, your blood will be reinjected
back into your blood stream.
Your heart rate will be monitored during the procedure. The Gamma
camera will acquire data based on the tagged red blood cells and your
heart rate. From this data, the computer will calculate the blood
volume pumped through the left ventricle of your heart (Ejection Fraction).
The pictures will
be taken while you are lying on a table under the Gamma camera. You
must lie still while the data is being collected. A physician will
interpret the data and evaluate how efficiently the left ventricle is
pumping the blood.
*COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What preparation
is required? No preparation for a MUGA scan is needed.
How long will the test take? From start to finish the test will
take approximately 1 to 2 hours.
Will I have an I.V.? Most of the blood will be drawn and reinjected
without putting in an I.V. line. If your veins are small or difficult
to find, an I.V. line may be inserted.
Can I get AIDS or other diseases from the blood? There is no
danger that you could acquire any diseases from the blood you are given
because it is your own blood that is drawn and given back to you with
the imaging agent added.
How much radioactivity do I get? The amount of radioactivity
that you receive would be comparable to that of a chest x-ray. As with
any radiation, please notify your doctor or the nuclear medicine technologist
if you think you are pregnant or are nursing a baby.
Marquette General
Hospital, 580 W College Ave, Marquette MI 49855