Stress Testing Specialist
A stress test is sometimes called an exercise test or a treadmill test. This test helps our team examine how well your heart copes with hard work and physical exertion. As your body works harder during your stress test, it needs more oxygen, urging your heart to pump more blood.
The test reveals if your blood supply is reduced in the important arteries that service your heart.
What can I expect during my stress test?
During your stress test, you’re hooked up to special equipment, including a blood pressure armband and electrodes connected to your chest, that carefully monitor your blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, and other factors of your heart with an electrocardiogram and imaging.
You walk slowly in place on a treadmill, the speed is increased, and the treadmill gets tilted to emulate the effect of traveling up a small hill. The goal is for you to reach your target heart rate. Our team asks you how tired you are during your test to monitor how you feel and he might also ask you to breathe into a tube for a couple of minutes.
You can stop the test at any time if needed. After your test, Our team usually asks you to sit or lie down to have your heart and blood pressure checked again. Medical professionals are always present during and shortly after your test for optimal safety.
While some pharmaceutical medicines can increase cardiac demand, exercise stress testing is the preferred method.
If you can’t walk on a treadmill long enough to reach your target heart rate for the test, due to musculoskeletal disorders, obesity, peripheral arterial disease, or other complications, pharmaceuticals may be used to increase cardiac demand.
Why would I need a stress test?
Our team might recommend an exercise stress test to:
- Diagnose heart disease
- Determine a safe level of exercise
- Assess your heart health and your risk factors
- Diagnose a possible cause of symptoms, such as chest pain
- Check the effectiveness of procedures performed to improve coronary artery circulation
Our team might recommend further testing, depending on the results of your stress test.
If you’re worried about your heart health, call Prime Heart and Vascular today or book an appointment online.
