The Purpose of a Cardiac Stress Test
A cardiac stress test is a test that is performed using an electrocardiogram machine and a stationary bicycle or treadmill and which is used to look at areas of the heart. This test is used to evaluate arterial blood flow to the heart muscle during physical exercise and the results of this are then compared to the arterial blood flow to the heart muscle while it is at rest.
How it is Performed
To perform a cardiac stress test, the attending physician attaches the patient to an ECG machine, and a blood pressure cuff is then placed on one of their arms. After this, a baseline ECG will be obtained and then the doctor will instruct the patient to begin performing the appropriate exercise.
This will be a low level of exercise, and at every three minutes or so the level of the exercise is increased. The doctor will make notes throughout the entire test, namely at each stage of exercise where the pulse, blood pressure and ECG will all be recorded.
Once the cardiac stress test is completed, the doctor takes the results and compares them to the results of those while the heart muscle is at rest. As a conclusion, these results give the doctor a detailed showing of how the patient responds to physical stress, and how well their heart responds to it.
Who Needs This Test
There are a few people in particular who should make sure to get a cardiac stress test done. This includes people with chest pain, because chest pain can be caused by many different things, including heart disease, and a cardiac stress test will be able to determine just what the cause of the chest pain actually is.
It is also important for people who have had a heart attack to have this test done, and if these people show irregularities on their ECG during this test they will most likely need a further assessment of their heart in order to determine if anything more serious is at play here.
If you are interested in having this test done then you will want to speak to your doctor about it as soon as possible. They will be able to set everything in place and make an appointment for you to take the test as soon as they can. It is important to act quickly because the centers that offer these tests are usually booked months ahead of time so you will need to get your appointment booked right away.
