Cardiac Stress Test To Evaluate Your Heart
If you’ve never had a cardiac stress test, then you need to know that this test is a great way to evaluate the blood flow through the heart during strenuous physical activity. It also helps to show the amount of oxygen the blood going to the heart carries. The test may have the name of a stress test, it really has nothing to do with how much emotional stress a person can endure. Stress, in this case, refers to the amount of work your heart can take.
During a cardiac stress test, you will likely walk, then run on a treadmill while you’re connected to an ekg, or electrocardiogram machine. There are ten standard connections on the body, so you may feel a bit funny with the suction cup like connections. Some times, instead of a treadmill, you might be connected to an iv, which will give your body a solution that simulates the effects of exercise on the heart.
If you’re on a treadmill, you will find that the speed changes every few minutes, but if you’re on an iv, you’ll find that it delivers more medication at the same intervals. Doctors are present during these tests, to monitor your progress, and assist if something should happen. When a patient begins to feel tired, the cardiac stress test is stopped and the results will be reviewed by doctors and technicians.
Cardiac stress tests can show if you have heart disease or abnormalities in the way your heart pumps. It also shows problems such as blocked arteries to your doctor. Often, when a doctor thinks you may have any type of heart disease, they will recommend you have this type of test. The good news is that if you don’t display symptoms of heart disease, then there will be no need to take the test. If, however, you are a smoker, have a family history of heart disease, are overweight and/or have high cholesterol, then your doctor may recommend that you have a cardiac stress test.
While the cardiac stress test is not harmful, if you are not used to exercising, you may notice that you feel short of breath, have heart palpitations or feel light headed during or after the test. This is usually because of the exercise itself and not due to any adverse side effects. If you do have a heart or circulation problem, you may want to know that a heart attack or stroke could be a side effect, but these are very, very rare and most often, people go through a cardiac stress test with no side effects at all.
If you are worried about your heart health, though, you should know that this is one of the most effective ways to diagnose any potential problems your heart might be having and stop them before they get worse.
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