MUGA SCAN

A multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan is a nuclear imaging test that creates video images of the lower chambers of the heart, called ventricles, to check how well they are pumping blood. The MUGA Scan measures the patient’s ejection fraction (EF). The ejection fraction is the percentage of blood that is being pumped out of the heart each time it beats. The standard percentage is between 50 to 75%.  During the test, the patient is attached to an EKG machine to measure the heart rate. Then, through an IV, the patient receives an injection of a radioactive tracer that attaches to the red blood cells. This allows the camera to take pictures of the blood in the ventricles, which are responsible for the pumping of blood. It shows any abnormalities in the size of the ventricles and in the movement of blood through the heart. This test is often done first when you are resting, and then again after walking on a treadmill. This will show how well your heart is able to pump when working harder. Other names for this test include cardiac blood pooling imaging, nuclear heart scan, nuclear ventriculography, and radionuclide ventriculography.