Your cardiologist has booked you for a stress test. You may need to undergo a stress test due to your employment or avocation to ensure you’re healthy enough to perform important tasks, such as flying a plane, under stressful circumstances. Or, perhaps heart disease runs in your family, or you’re worried about your heart health for other reasons.
A stress test measures the difference between how efficiently your heart works at rest and under stress. Stress tests are simple but effective ways to get ahead of potential problems in your cardiovascular system. You can even add a stress test to your regular wellness examinations.
If you’ve never had a stress test before, it’s normal to feel nervous. You may worry about what the results mean. Or you may worry that the test itself is uncomfortable.
We administer stress tests at our office in Rosedale, Queens, New York. Under the care of our expert cardiologist, Dr. Ola Akinboboye, a stress test provides important information about the health of your heart and blood vessels.
Are you nervous about your stress test? Here’s why you shouldn’t be.
The first thing to know is that a stress test doesn’t hurt. There are no injections (usually) or incisions. We simply attach electrodes to your chest and arms.
The only “pain” involved might be having your chest hair shaved, if you’re a man. We need to be able to place the electrodes directly on your skin without interference from hair. Of course, you’re welcome to shave yourself before your appointment.
The electrodes are wires on sticky patches. The wires connect to an electrocardiogram (EKG) device, which translates the electrical activity of your heart into waveforms. You may also breathe into a mouthpiece that measures your exhalations.
Our first measurements are taken very soon after we’ve hooked you up to the EKG. They’re baseline measurements that show us the normal beating pattern and electrical signals of your heart when it’s at rest, and not under stress. And yes, if you’re nervous, we may give you a minute to calm down to get a normal resting heart rate.
During the “stress” portion of the test, we may ask you to raise your heart rate by exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike. We continue to monitor your EKG to see how your heart and blood vessels react to the added stress of exercise. We also evaluate how your exhalations change under stress.
We usually have you exercise for about 15 minutes at a time. We may add resistance or incline to make the task harder, and then measure your body’s response to the added stress.
If the exercise is too strenuous, you can take a break. If you have symptoms, such as chest pain, let us know immediately, and we will stop the test.
If you can’t exercise, don’t worry. We can give you a medication (the only needle you’ll suffer) that raises your heart rate. Again, we evaluate the differences we see on the EKG as your heart beats faster under stress.
After the exercise portion is over, we let you rest until your heart rate returns to normal. We then take new measurements.
Usually, your results are ready within a day or two. If Dr. Akinboye detects any abnormalities, he may order a second stress test called a nuclear stress test.
A traditional stress test provides information in the form of waveforms that represent your heart's electrical activity. If Dr. Akinboye orders a nuclear stress test, we can also see what’s going on inside your heart. In some instances, a nuclear stress test may be the first stress test we order.
The procedure is very similar to a traditional stress test. You’re fitted with electrodes that measure your heart at rest, during stress, and after recovery. However, we also insert a needle into one arm and inject a radiotracer.
The radiotracer flows through your blood vessels, so we can see how much blood is pumped into your heart. The images show up on a screen.
After you exercise, we administer more radiotracer and then watch how it flows through your heart. The radiotracer identifies areas where you may have restricted blood flow.
Although having a stress test can be a little stressful, the results it provides may save your life. Once Dr. Akinboye evaluates the data from one or both stress tests, he either gives you an all-clear or he customizes a treatment plan to address any cardiovascular issues that the stress test revealed. Either way, you win.
Find out how efficiently your heart and cardiovascular system work under stress by booking your stress test today. Call our friendly team at 718-208-4816 or use our online outreach form.
