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.
Information from 2022 suggests that the most common side effects of a nuclear stress test are a headache and feeling flushed. Other possible side effects include: chest pain. dizziness.
How long does the material stay in my body? It depends on the isotope that is being used for your scan. The most commonly used radioisotopes will have left your body within 1 day. Others might take 3 days, and some might take few weeks.
Take a Radiation-Neutralizing Bath Following Your Scan
Dissolve one to two pounds of salt with one to two pounds of baking soda in a hot bath, and soak for 40 minutes. Radiation is acidifying to the body, while a salt and baking soda soak is highly alkaline, which helps to neutralize radiation's effect.
The test is done to see if your heart muscle is getting enough blood flow and oxygen when it is working hard (under stress). Your provider may order this test to find out: How well a treatment (medicines, angioplasty, or heart surgery) is working. If you are at high risk for heart disease or complications.
The test can show the size of the heart's chambers, how well the heart is pumping blood, and whether the heart has any damaged or dead muscle. Nuclear stress tests can also give doctors information about your arteries and whether they might be narrowed or blocked because of coronary artery disease.
The word radioactive is a bit scary and can lead one to wonder, “Is a nuclear stress test safe for the elderly?” Yes, the amount of radioactivity a person is exposed to during a nuclear stress test is the same amount as a chest x-ray and is no cause for concern.
Medicare Coverage for Nuclear Stress Tests
Medicare Part B coverage will help cover these tests if it is deemed medically necessary under certain circumstances. If your physician orders the nuclear stress test in order to diagnose or rule out illness, Medicare will pay for the screening.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG reflects what's happening in different areas of the heart and helps identify any problems with the rhythm or rate of your heart. The ECG is painless and takes around 5-10 minutes to perform.
Friends/family are welcome to accompany you to the office but are not allowed in the testing area due to our privacy policy. In the testing room, a nurse or technician will start an intravenous line, or IV, in your arm and will administer a small amount of radioactive tracer.
Males over 250 pounds and females over 200 pounds will have the test done in two days. The first day will usually be the stress portion (plan on two hours). The second day is the resting portion and no restrictions for caffeine or beta blockers are required (plan on at least one hour).
Caffeine can inhibit the medication needed for the stress portion of the test to be effective. If you've consumed caffeine within 24 hours, we may have to reschedule your test.
The angiogram and cardiac catheterization are the most definitive tests, better than a nuclear stress test, but both use significant radiation, and the cardiac catheterization uses a large catheter in the artery, which can cause complications.
The Nuclear Medicine Stress Test takes approximately four hours to complete. You are encouraged to bring a book, or some other means to pass the time quietly. You will be able to drive yourself home after the test is completed. Wear loose comfortable clothing with walking or tennis shoes.
The nuclear stress test is generally considered to be the most accurate type of stress test. It has a sensitivity of about 81%, meaning that it will miss about 19% of high-grade blockages.
MRI is much more accurate than both nuclear and echo stress, and a cardiac stress MRI provides more information than perfusion, including viability, function and morphology, at a much higher resolution than either nuclear or echo,” he says. Cardiac MRI is a well-validated tool.
The normal ranges of blood pressure response to exercise stress testing are as shown in Figure 1. 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.
The test involves using medicine which simulates exercise on the heart, and nuclear imaging is used to measure blood flow to the heart. The procedure entails starting an intravenous line followed by giving a small dose of nuclear medicine which binds the heart muscle.
Abnormal results will require further diagnosis and/or treatment that will be discussed with your cardiologist. Some patients may be referred for a cardiac catheterization, which is a procedure to see if there are any blockages in the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood.
You may have a headache or feel flushed during your test. Some people may experience a fast heart rate (tachycardia). If this happens, your provider may give you medication to regulate your heartbeat. The radiotracer causes some radiation to stay in your body for a little while.
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%. In high-risk patients, 74% had 3-vessel or left main occlusive coronary disease on angiography.