Stress Testing
Looking for instructions for your stress test?
What it is
A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart. It also helps doctors know the kind and level of exercise that are appropriate for you. Heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, your electrocardiogram, and how you feel are monitored during the test.
Why we do it
A physician may recommend an exercise stress test to:
Diagnose coronary artery disease
Diagnose a possible heart-related cause of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness
Check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve coronary artery circulation in patients with coronary artery disease
Predict the risk of a future heart attack
How we do it
A person taking the test:
is hooked up to equipment to monitor the heart.
walks slowly in place on a treadmill. Then the speed is increased for a faster pace and the treadmill is tilted upwards to produce the effect of going up a small hill.
can stop the test at any time if needed.
will lie down after the completion of the test to recover and be briefly monitored
For patients who can not exercise or who have certain types of ekg patterns, a chemical stress is performed. A short acting chemical is injected through an IV to simulate the effect of exercise on blood flow to the heart.
Nuclear Stress Test
When a more accurate assessment is necessary, a nuclear stress test is performed. For this test, a small amount of radioactivity is injected into the bloodstream and flows to the heart muscle. The radioactive isotope that has entered the heart muscle can be seen by having you lie under a camera. Two injections are performed, and two sets of pictures are obtained 1-2 hours apart, one at rest and one during stress. The images give information about whether significant blockages are present, which parts of the heart muscle is affected, and whether there has been permanent damage such as from a prior heart attack.
Services we offer
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Stress Testing
Exercise and chemical stress testing to assess for blockages and assessment of heart strength by gated blood pool scanning.
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Sleep Apnea and Sleep Studies
Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and related diseases.
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Catheterization and Stenting
Diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease including cardiac catheterization and stent placement.
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Arrhythmias and their treatments
Diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias including pacemaker and defibrillator placement and ablation procedures.
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Echocardiography
Cardiac ultrasound to visualize the heart using additional advanced techniques such as bubble or definity contrast as needed. Transesophageal ultrasound performed in the hospital as an outpatient procedure.
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Vascular Ultrasound
Evaluation of the carotid arteries and blood vessels of the abdomen, kidneys and legs.