When you undergo cardio stress testing, you are monitored during exercise to have a potential heart condition diagnosed by a medical professional. Cardio stress testing is a relatively safe and non-invasive test to look for coronary artery disease, or a blocked artery. Depending on your symptoms and other scheduled tests, cardio stress testing may be performed on an outpatient basis and monitoring occurs before, during and after the test.
Purpose
Exercise has many cardiovascular benefits, but it may also be able to help diagnose a heart condition. When you exercise, your heart works harder because your heart and lungs need more blood that carries oxygen so the test allows doctors to monitor the proper functioning of the heart. Cardio stress testing may be prescribed to investigate the cause of chest pain and shortness of breath, diagnose heart disease, check how well various heart treatments are working, determine a safe level of exercise and investigate the cause of heart rhythm changes during exercise.
Preparation
Before you have cardio stress testing, don't eat or drink for three hours prior to your appointment. Since you will be exercising, wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing. Also talk to your doctor to determine if any of your medications should be avoided before the test. It is important that you inform your doctor if you have taken viagra 24 hours prior to cardio stress testing because nitroglycerin, which may be administered for chest pain during the test, can cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure when used with viagra in your system.
Procedure
At the beginning of your appointment, a health care professional administers an electrocardiogram, ECG, while you are at rest to evaluate your normal heart rate. You then start walking on a treadmill while still attached to the ECG machine and a blood pressure device while the electrical activity of your heart is monitored. The pace of the treadmill slowly increases so the level of stress placed on your heart can be evaluated. The test ends when enough information has been gathered or you are too tired to continue. You are monitored for 10 to 15 minutes after the exercise stops or until your heart rate returns to baseline.
Considerations
Your doctor provides you with instructions regarding resuming normal activities following the test. Depending on the results of your cardio stress test, your doctor may order other tests or refer you to a specialist. According to MedlinePlus, cardio stress testing is less accurate in young or middle-aged women with atypical heart symptoms. A doctor may order other diagnostic tests in these situations.
