STRESS
ECHO
What
is a stress echo?
A stress echo is actually two test combined into one. Both test are used
to diagnosis heart disease.
What
are the two test?
The exercise STRESS test is combined with the ECHOcardiogram to make-up
the STRESS ECHO.
What
will be required of me and how are the test used together?
The exercise stress test is a diagnostic test that requires
the patient to walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike until you either
tire out, experience abnormal symptoms or reach a predetermined endpoint. The
test will start out relatively easy and will require more effort as the test
goes on. There is no set time that you must remain on the treadmill and the
total time will depend on the amount of exercise you can tolerate. While
exercising, you will be hooked up
to an EKG machine which will display the electrical activity of your heart on a
screen. The physician and a trained technician will monitor your EKG and
document your heart’s response to the exercise.
The
echocardiogram or Echo will require you to lay on your left side while a trained
technician uses high frequency sound waves to obtain images of your heart. These
images will be recorded before and after you exercise (images may also be
recorded while you pedal on the stationary bike). The images recorded before you
exercise will be compared to the images immediately after you exercise. By doing
this, a specially trained physician can determine if your heart responded
properly to the exercise. Depending on your hearts response on the
echocardiogram and the information obtained from the EKG, it can be determined
if you have heart disease.
Is
there any special preparation for the test?
Yes. You should eat a light breakfast (if your test is
scheduled for the afternoon, eat a regular breakfast and a light lunch), wear
comfortable clothes and a pair of shoes that you can walk in comfortably and
take all your medication unless instructed otherwise by your physician. If you have any questions concerning whether or not you should take
your medication(s), check with your doctor. Plan on the test taking one
and a half to two hours to complete. So schedule your time approximately for
that day. DO NOT BE IN A HURRY.
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