Stress Test

• A lab technician will attach electrodes to your chest to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.
• You will start walking on a treadmill, with the speed and/or incline gradually increasing.
• While you’re exercising, the lab technician will track your heart’s electrical activity. Throughout the test, you should let the technician know if you feel anything unusual.
• When the test is completed, the information recorded will be given to your provider for further analysis.

• A cardiac sonographer and a cardiac nurse will perform the test before stress, during stress, and immediately afterwards.
• You may have an IV inserted with ultrasound contrast (lipid bubbles - NOT contrast like that given for CT scans or radiology procedures) to enhance the images.
• You may either exercise on a treadmill or take dobutamine, a medication that increases heart rate and simulates exercise to stress the heart. You will be constantly monitored by an EKG. 
• The results of the test will be interpreted by a cardiologist with advanced echocardiography certification.

• A nuclear medicine technologist and a cardiac nurse will perform the test. They will inject a small dose of a radioactive material (isotope) through an IV.

• For a portion of the study, you will lie on your back, like an x-ray, as images of the heart are captured and recorded. You will also either walk on a treadmill or receive a medication to simulate exercise.
• The amount of radioactive material absorbed by each area of the heart is then measured by a computer.
• The amount of radiation exposure from the study is equivalent to spending a couple of hours in the sun or one CT scan, and the radiation lasts only hours in the body before disappearing.

• An exercise physiologist fits you with a breathing mask that is hooked up to a computer. This mask measures how much oxygen you inhale and exhale. Your heart rate will also be monitored.
• You begin exercising at a slow pace on a treadmill or stationary bike. The exercise physiologist gradually increases the intensity of the exercise until you come close to the maximum of your ability. 
• You then perform a cool down for several minutes.

• Exercise Treadmill Test: The length varies based on the patient. You will exercise as much as you can for as long as possible, until you decide that you should stop.
• Echocardiogram Stress Test: The procedure takes about an hour. If you have a visit with a cardiologist after this test, plan on being with us for about 90 minutes.
• Nuclear Stress Test: The procedure takes 3.5 to 4 hours with 30–45-minute periods where you will read, eat, or watch TV.
• VO2 Max Test: The study generally takes between 10 and 20 minutes. 

Exercise Treadmill, Echocardiogram, and VO2 Max Test:

• You can eat and drink normally, though we suggest avoiding caffeine on the morning of the procedure.
• You may be asked to hold on certain medications the morning of the procedure or the night before.
• We recommend wearing shoes and clothing you would be comfortable walking in.

Nuclear Stress Test:

• Do not eat or drink after 10:00 pm the night before your test and avoid caffeine and even decaffeinated beverages after 8:00 pm the night before.
• If you are diabetic, we suggest you bring your glucometer (blood sugar meter) with you. We recommend eating something with peanut butter, soy “No Nut” butter, or a similar source of slow released sugar and protein the night before your test to keep your sugar up since you will be fasting.
• We recommend wearing shoes and clothing you would be comfortable walking in.