What is stress testing?
Stress testing reveals how well your heart works during physical activity, allowing your cardiologist to detect or rule out potentially dangerous medical problems. Because your heart responds differently during exercise than at rest, your provider may recommend stress testing in addition to or in place of an electrocardiogram (EKG).
Why might I need stress testing?
Your vascular specialist may recommend you undergo stress testing to:
- Establish a safe amount of exercise
- Detect irregular heartbeats
- Diagnose coronary artery disease
- Evaluate current heart disease treatments
- Find out if you’re at risk of a heart attack
A stress test is often useful to find the underlying cause of shortness of breath, chest pain, a rapid heartbeat, or other heart irregularities. Your provider may recommend one before you begin an exercise program, while you’re undergoing treatment for heart problems, or if you have a history of heart surgery or a heart attack.
What should I expect during stress testing?
To prepare for a stress test, wear comfortable clothes and shoes. The Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants team may ask you to avoid eating or drinking a few hours before your test. Your vascular specialist may recommend stress tests, such as:
Exercise stress testing
During exercise stress tests, your provider places electrodes on targeted areas of your skin. They monitor your heart’s activity while you exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill. You slowly and gradually increase exercise intensity until you reach a target heart rate or experience shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or other symptoms of heart problems.
Nuclear stress testing
With a nuclear stress test, you lie down on a comfortable exam table while your provider inserts radioactive dye into blood vessels in your arm. The dye helps your vascular specialist view images of your heart and blood vessels. After dye flows through your bloodstream, you complete exercise stress testing with additional dye injections as needed.
Stress echocardiogram
During a stress echocardiogram, your cardiologist places a transducer on your chest. Sound waves create moving images of your heart. You exercise on a bike or treadmill as they evaluate additional images.
What do my results mean?
After stress testing is complete, your Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants specialist reviews the results with you. They may recommend additional diagnostic testing or treatments to reduce your risk of heart problems or ensure safety during exercise. They let you know if current heart treatments are working as they’re designed to.
Make your heart health top priority by calling Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants or booking an appointment online to find out if stress testing is right for you.
