What is stress testing?
Stress testing is a way for the Corrielus Cardiology team to measure how healthy the blood flow is through your heart. It involves having an electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) recording the electrical activity in your heart when you're exercising.
During exercise, your heart rate goes up, and your blood pumps harder. Seeing what happens to your EKG readings when you're exercising can provide evidence of problems with your heart that a standard resting EKG might not pick up.
Why might I need to undergo stress testing?
If you have certain symptoms of heart disease, an EKG very often detects the cause. If your EKG shows no abnormalities, the Corrielus Cardiology team might suggest stress testing to see if that provides more information.
Stress testing can help diagnose coronary artery disease and different forms of arrhythmia. It's also a useful tool for evaluating your progress and making any necessary alterations to optimize your rehabilitation when you're undergoing treatment for a heart condition.
How do I prepare for stress testing?
You need to stop eating and drinking for a certain period before the test, and you might need to avoid caffeine and hold off taking certain medications that could affect the test.
The Corrielus Cardiology team provides you with all the information you need so you're fully prepared for your stress test.
You typically perform stress testing on a treadmill or a stationary bicycle, which means you need to be capable of raising your heart rate through exercise.
If you can't achieve this because of your health problems, you can take medication that reproduces the effect of exercise on your body while avoiding actual physical exertion.
What happens during stress testing?
When you attend Corrielus Cardiology for your stress testing session, a member of the team attaches electrodes — wires with sticky pads on them — to your body. These electrodes relay information about your heart to the EKG machine.
When the electrodes are in place, you slowly start walking or cycling. Your provider gives you instructions on when to increase the speed and effort you put in until you get to the target heart rate. At this point, you start to slow down again.
After you stop walking or pedaling, your provider needs to continue measuring your heart activity until it slows to your normal resting rate.
If you're experiencing symptoms that could relate to your heart, stress testing can be an effective method of pinpointing what the problem is. Find out more by calling Corrielus Cardiology today or book your appointment online.
