Stress Tests
A stress test shows how your heart responds when it needs to pump harder. This can help your doctor diagnose several heart conditions, or learn what level of exercise your heart can safely handle.
Treadmill Stress Test
In this common test, a patient is first hooked up to monitoring equipment, which may include an electrocardiogram, and then told to walk slowly on a treadmill. A technician adjusts the speed and angle of the treadmill to make the patient's heart work harder. Afterwards, the technician may perform an echocardiogram.
Sestamibi Stress Test
In this test, a radioactive tracer (sestamibi) shows how blood flows to your heart before, during, and after exercise. A tiny amount of sestamibi is injected while you work out on a treadmill. A special camera then records images as the sestamibi moves through your heart and arteries. Sestamibi stress tests are more accurate and provide more information than standard treadmill stress tests.
This is for patients who are too weak to exercise. The drug adenosine makes the heart speed up, as if you had been exercising. A special camera then records images as the sestamibi moves through your heart and arteries. This test finds tiny heartbeat variations in your electrocardiogram that may lead to heart problems. You exercise on a treadmill for about ten minutes while a technician measures your heart's electrical patterns. These patterns can predict your chances of having a heart arrhythmia or a heart attack. Adenosine Sestamibi Stress Test
T-wave Alternans Stress Testing
