A cardiologist performs a stress test to evaluate the state of the heart during activity. During a stress test, sometimes called an exercise test, a patient is connected to an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, which measures the heart’s rhythm during activity. Since activity puts the heart under additional strain, a stress test can assist in identifying problems with blood flow, cardiac rhythm, and other areas.
When exercising, your cardiologist must evaluate how blood flows through your heart to diagnose heart disease. Stress testing is helpful in this situation. This diagnostic test can identify issues that may develop when your heart beats more quickly and forcefully than usual. However, what is a stress test, and what should you anticipate from the process?
What Does Stress Test Indicates?
You may know the stress test as an exercise stress test. Usually, the patient walks on a treadmill or rides a stationary bike while their blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. The doctors monitor the heart rate.
Stress tests are frequently performed in conjunction with other medical diagnostic procedures to assist your doctor in planning therapy for a cardiac ailment you’ve been diagnosed with, such as coronary artery disease or an arrhythmia.
If you cannot exercise, an injectable drug that simulates exercise may be administered. Complications like chest discomfort, fainting, collapse, heart attack, or abnormal pulse are nevertheless infrequent. Before treatment, your physician will check on you for these issues.
How to Prepare for a Stress Test?
Your doctor may advise you to cease using prescription and over-the-counter drugs before the test since they may affect the test’s outcome. Unless directed by your physician, continue taking your medications.
Before the test, you should refrain from smoking, eating, and consuming caffeinated beverages for some time. On the day of the stress test, wear comfortable shoes and clothes. If you use an inhaler, bring it to the exam.
How does a Stress Test Work?
You should shave some small portions of your chest to get the electrodes to attach correctly. ECG equipment records the electrical signals that cause your heart to beat.
Additionally, you will have a pulse monitor on your finger and an arm blood pressure monitor. In certain instances, your physician could advise you to use a tube to breathe during physical activity.
Starting gently, you will work up to a predefined target heart rate or until you have symptoms (such as dyspnea, dizziness, abnormal blood pressure, chest discomfort, or an irregular heart rhythm) that tell you it’s too late to continue.
The intensity of the workout will gradually reduce after a certain period, generally 10 to 15 minutes. After the test, your doctor will closely observe your breathing and heart rhythm until they stabilise. After the exam, you should be able to return to your routine.
Reasons to Undergo a Stress Test
Stress testing is a helpful diagnostic method for several heart issues. They can also show how well a person’s heart handles stress and help assess their risk before participating in an activity that can put their heart under stress.
You could be a good candidate for a stress test if you have dyspnea or chest discomfort. A cardiac doctor may do a stress test for five main reasons, which are as follows:
1. Analysing the Blood Flow in a Patient
The primary goal of a stress test is to assess the patient’s heart’s blood and oxygen flow. Stress tests are used to identify health issues, including coronary artery disease.
2. Verifying a Heart Problem
A stress test can evaluate heart-related problems in patients with symptoms like breathing issues or chest discomfort. Successfully treating the patient at the first indication of symptoms can also help avoid further cardiac problems.
3. Assess the Rhythm of the Heart
A patient’s heart rate may accelerate or decrease during a stress test or beat irregularly. A cardiologist can evaluate the patient’s cardiac rhythm and identify any underlying problems or hazards.
4. Manage the Treatment of Heart Condition
Stress tests can help assess whether a patient’s cardiac disease improves even after a diagnosis. They can also provide information about whether other operations or forms of therapy are required to enhance the patient’s health.
5. Determine the Fitness Plan
A stress tests can help patients who are recuperating from a cardiac problem or who wish to get healthier by teaching them how to engage in everyday activity properly.
Different Types of Stress
Depending on the demands of the individual, a stress test can take various forms. Have a look at multiple types of stress:
Exercise Stress Test
A stress test measures an individual’s heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and level of fatigue during various physical activity levels.
- A doctor places adhesive electrodes on the chest to monitor the patient’s heart and take data.
- The participant will stroll as soon as the treadmill moves.
- The individual using the treadmill will stand.
Nuclear Stress Test
Based on the findings, the doctor can suggest a nuclear stress test as the next course of action. This can provide a more thorough and precise evaluation of the heart with a radionuclide scan or radioactive heart test.
Except for the doctor injecting a tracer dye into the arm to see the heart and blood flow on an image, the process is similar to an exercise stress test. Any areas of the heart where blood is not flowing can also be visible because of the dye, which may indicate a blockage.
The physician may then compare how the heart appears and performs under stress and in a normal state.
Final Thoughts
Stress testing can help detect cardiac diseases and demonstrate how effectively the heart functions. It can also provide insight into the maximum stress an individual’s heart can handle. This might be useful when preparing for heart surgery or a rigorous fitness regimen.
Typically, the test consists of treadmill walking while a medical professional watches cardiac activity. Nonetheless, those with limited mobility might require a specific drug for a comparable result. The experts in One Heart Clinic provide various stress tests and monitor the problems of the patients before starting the treatment.
