Your doctor told you that you need to have a cardiac stress test. Now, what do you do? Unlike your written exams in school, you cannot study for a cardiac stress test to get a better grade.
So, what can you do and what should you expect from a stress test?
Here, we will explain exactly what a cardiac stress test is, why and how it is done, and what the results can or cannot show.
Cardiac Stress Tests
At one time, doctors recommended annual cardiac exercise stress tests for middle-aged and older patients. Now, these tests are performed less often as guidelines for when to test have changed.
Testing for the sake of testing or “just to see” is no longer standard practice.
What Is a Cardiac Stress Test?
Since your heart is inside your body, there is no way of looking at it and knowing how well it is doing. As the word “cardiac” tells us, a cardiac stress test checks your heart. It assesses your risk of heart disease or heart attack. The test checks how much your heart can handle before it begins an abnormal rhythm or blood flow to your heart drops.
Although there are different types of stress tests, the exercise stress test is the most common. This shows your doctor how your heart responds to being pushed or stressed. The test reveals potential problems with your heart.
Purpose and Uses of a Stress Test
As mentioned above, a cardiac stress test is no longer a part of an annual physical or check-up. Your doctor may recommend or request a stress test for the following reasons:
- To diagnose coronary heart disease
- To diagnose abnormal heart rhythms or arrhythmias
- To guide treatment for patients with heart conditions or disorders
- To determine a safe level of exercise for patients beginning a new exercise program
Additionally, cardiac stress tests may help a doctor plan when to perform a cardiac surgery or if a patient needs a heart transplant.
How It Is Done
Also called a treadmill test, an exercise stress test shows your doctor how well your heart works or performs under pressure.
During a cardiac exercise test, you walk on the treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle, slowly at first but then increasing in speed and incline. Adhesive pads with plastic-coated wires are attached to your chest and connected to the ECG. A blood pressure cuff is placed on your arm.
The machine monitors your heart and establishes a baseline before you actually start walking. Once the test starts, you walk at a slow pace. Every few minutes the speed and incline increase to become more difficult. The goal is to make your heart work harder and up to 85% of its maximum capacity.
You may be asked to breathe into a tube a few times to show how well you breathe while exercising. The speed and incline will be decreased so you can cool down. After the test, you will sit or lie down while your heart and blood pressure are checked.
If a patient struggles during the test, it may be stopped at any time. A modified version of the test can be done for patients who are out of shape or unable to exercise.
Cardiac Stress Test Results
During a stress test, you are attached to various monitors to track your heart. A cardiac stress test monitors heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), and how tired you feel.
What a Stress Test Shows
While you are walking, the various machines and equipment are monitoring your heart rate, electrical activity, and breathing. The most common reason the test is performed is to check for blockages in the coronary arteries. This network of blood vessels provides blood and nutrients to the heart.
In addition, stress tests document low blood flow, reveal rhythm problems, assess heart valves, evaluate the safety of exercise programs, and monitor current heart treatment plans.
Stress Test Limitations
Stress tests do not provide all the answers your doctor may need about your heart. The results can be unclear leading to additional tests or treatments that you do not actually need.
For example, if your test results are unclear, your doctor may request a coronary angiography which involves exposing you to radiation. Or, an angioplasty may be recommended to open the walls of the arteries when medication or lifestyle changes could do the same thing.
When to Get a Cardiac Stress Test
Cardiac tests are performed to monitor your heart’s health. For patients with heart disease or specific heart conditions, stress tests evaluate how the heart is performing. Doctors use the test to determine how to treat potential problems.
Although heart tests will not harm you in any way, they are not needed for patients without diagnosed heart conditions. There are other, less expensive ways to prevent heart disease such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle than performing an unnecessary stress test in a healthy patient.
Stress Tests for Heart Disease
At Carolina Medical Associates, we monitor the results from stress tests in order to provide quality health care. We offer continuing care of heart disease in Pineville, NC for patients who have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease.
Contact Carolina Medical Associates
If you are a heart disease patient, contact Carolina Medical Associates for more information on cardiac stress tests in Pineville. Schedule an appointment today.
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