Your Stress Test

Why it was ordered

Stress testing can help assess exertional symptoms, possible reduced blood flow to heart muscle, exercise capacity or selected rhythm concerns. The type of test depends on the question, your ability to exercise and your baseline ECG.

Exercise, echo and nuclear tests

You may walk on a treadmill or use a bicycle while staff monitor symptoms, ECG, heart rate and blood pressure. Some tests add ultrasound images (stress echo) or a radioactive tracer and camera (nuclear perfusion imaging).

If exercise is not suitable, medication can create the stress needed for imaging. These tests differ, so the preparation and time required vary.

How to prepare

Get instructions from the testing center about food, caffeine, clothing and medicines. Some medications and caffeine can affect particular tests. Do not hold prescribed medicines unless the team specifically tells you to. Tell them about breathing problems, pregnancy possibility, medication reactions and difficulty walking.

What the result can tell you

A normal result can be reassuring about the question tested, but it does not exclude all plaque or every cause of chest symptoms. An abnormal or inconclusive result may lead to a treatment change or further testing. Artifacts and test limitations can affect interpretation.

What happens next

Ask whether the test was adequate, what the findings mean, and whether activity or treatment should change. Do not wait for a scheduled test if you develop severe chest discomfort, fainting or severe breathing difficulty; call 911.

Questions for your next visit

• Which type of stress test am I having, and why?
• What exact preparation and medication instructions should I follow?
• Does the result change my activity or treatment?

Keep reading

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• Your Coronary CT Angiogram