If you can't exercise, you'll receive medication to make your heart work harder. After exercising, you undergo an additional scan. A PET stress test can usually be performed in around 30 minutes. The test usually takes three to four hours, but you exercise for less than 15 minutes.
A stress test usually takes about an hour, including the prep time and the time it takes to do the actual test. The exercise part takes only around 15 minutes. It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle.
During the test, a doctor injects a radioactive substance called a radionuclide, or tracer. This substance allows a person's blood flow to become visible via a camera that picks up radioactive material. A nuclear stress test generally takes 3–4 hours .
The FAA expects testing to achieve 100% of Maximum Predicted Heart Rate (220 minus your age) and nine minutes duration unless medically contraindicated or prevented by symptoms such as fatigue, leg cramps, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort.
After a baseline recording taken at rest, you begin walking on a treadmill at a slow pace (under 2 mph). Every few minutes, the speed and steepness of the treadmill increase, making you work harder. The goal is to exercise until you're too tired or out of breath. But some people stop because of chest or leg pain.
“Generally a test should last 8 to 12 minutes, unless it is prematurely stopped due to fatigue or abnormal signs/symptoms. Patients who remain on the treadmill for 7 minutes or longer are in good to excellent physical condition.”
Patients are categorized as low-, intermediate- or high-risk. Low risk (score > 5) indicates a 5-year survival of 97%. Intermediate risk (score between 4 and -11) indicates 5-year survival of 90%. High risk (score < -11) indicates 5-year survival of 65%.
You will be asked to walk on a treadmill for approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
If you're unable to exercise: An intravenous (IV) line will be inserted into a vein in your arm. You'll get medicine through the IV. The medicine will make your heart work harder for 10 to 20 minutes while an EKG records your heart's electrical activity.
An exercise stress test is designed to find out if one or more of the coronary arteries feeding the heart contain fatty deposits (plaques) that block a blood vessel 70% or more. Additional testing is often required to confirm the test result.
People usually can go back to normal activities immediately. You may want to drink plenty of fluids to help flush the tracer out of your body. After the test, you may feel tired or dizzy or have a headache. Those symptoms should go away with time and rest.
Avoid caffeine for 24 hours before testing. This includes coffee, tea, energy drinks and certain over-the-counter medications. Not smoke or use tobacco products. Stop taking certain prescription medications the day of your test.
Bring all medications, or a list of medications, for review. Friends/family are welcome to accompany you to the office but are not allowed in the testing area due to our privacy policy. Allow approximately 90 minutes for the test. Test results will be communicated to you by your physician.
Depending on your age and shape you can have one of two separate tests: Test 1: For 3 minutes, you walk at a pace of 1.7 miles per hour, and no incline. If everything goes well, the cardiologist then raises the speed to 2.5 miles per hour, and an incline of 5 degrees.
For adults, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 minus your age. So, if you're 40 years old, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 – 40 = 180. For diagnostic treadmill testing, some doctors try to achieve about 85 percent of the predicted maximum heart rate.
Note: Decaffeinated products contain caffeine. Consult your physician about going off beta blockers for 48 hours and calcium channel blockers 24 hours before your exam. Do not eat or drink for three hours before your appointment. Drinking water is OK.
"You can't wear one while you do the stress test." I thought I heard wrong. "I am sorry, did you say I won't be wearing a bra while jogging?" "Yes, that's right. No bra. It may interfere with the wiring to the heart monitor," she said, while getting the wires ready.
"It's actually very logical," Hedman said. "When we exercise, the heart needs to pump more blood in each beat and in every minute, which causes systolic blood pressure to increase. The men who were measured with high blood pressure while exercising were in general achieving a higher workload -- they were more fit."
You are also given medicine (local anesthetic) to numb your throat. This helps you feel more comfortable during the procedure. An exercise stress test measures how your heart deals with the stress of physical activity. You are connected by wires to an ECG monitor.
Normal systolic and diastolic responses to exercise stress testing should not exceed 220 and 100 mm Hg, respectively. Systolic blood pressure of >230 mm Hg is generally considered hazardous.
In the most widely used test, called the Bruce protocol, there are seven stages, each one lasting for three minutes. If you get to the last stage, you'll be walking at 5.5 mph up a 20% grade. The goal is to get your heart working up to at least 85% of its maximum capacity.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that is suitable for exercise. Men usually don't wear a shirt during the test, and women generally wear a bra and a lightweight blouse or a hospital gown. You should also wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers.
Stress tests are commonly used to diagnose coronary artery disease or an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia), or to help your doctor plan treatment for a heart condition you've been diagnosed with.