15 September 2011

Things You Need to Know About Heart Stress Tests



A stress test using low dosage radioactive chemicals on the heart is known as a nuclear stress test. The test is designed to produce an image of the blood flowing to your heart muscles.

This type of test is performed by a doctor to determine whether or not the patient has adequate blood flow. Of course if they detect a reduction in the amount of blood flow, then that will tell them there is a restriction somewhere or possibly within the heart, itself. Patients can either exercise or be at rest when a nuclear test is performed. The reason it is called a stress test is because the exercise puts stress on the body including the heart and overall cardiovascular system.

Even if a heavier load is placed on it, your heart still needs to be healthy enough to perform correctly. There are quite a few reasons why your doctor may order a stress test, and each is to help your cardiologist make sure your heart is normal and healthy. Nowadays, the medical field uses the non-nuclear, or exercise stress test quite often. A treadmill isn't the only exercise equipment used as it can be replaced by a stationary bike. When the test is performed, test leads are connected to the chest to watch the electrical activity of the heart. A completely normal and healthy heart will reflect in the ECG - electrocardiogram. The electrocardiogram will also reveal if there are problems with the heart.

The stress echocardiogram test is useful for doctors because it can provide an accurate image of how well the heart is pumping. Also, the walls of the heart are visible and the activity can give more info about the problems that might arise. Just like with similar tests, doctors want to know how the heart responds. The EKG just provides a snapshot of how the heart is performing while in a stressed manner. The benefit of this test is that it can detect blood flow problems that are due to blockage that might not have otherwise been detected by other testing.

How reliable the isotope stress test is depends greatly on different variables.

For example, the image must be sufficiently clear and a particular heart rate reached. If all these conditions are satisfied then a doctor can diagnose the situation reliably in 85% of coronary artery disease patients. A 100% rate of accuracy is impossible because there are so many other variables that play a role. There are many other conditions that can impact an accurate diagnosis, including false positives.

The nuclear stress test is critical to any doctor when looking to determine whether or not the heart suffers from any diseases. If you ever require a nuclear stress test, make sure to ask your doctor a lot of questions. The reason for asking questions is simply so you will have greater knowledge about the situation as well as your specific condition.

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