Treadmill Stress Testing

A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work.

As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood. The test can show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart. It also helps doctors know the kind and level of exercise appropriate for a patient.

A person taking the test

• is hooked up to equipment to monitor the heart.

• walks slowly in place on a treadmill. Then the speed is increased for a faster pace and the treadmill is tilted to produce the effect of going up a small hill.

• can stop the test at any time if needed.

• afterwards will sit or lie down to have their heart and blood pressure checked.

Stress Echocardiogram

What Is it?
A stress echocardiogram is an echocardiogram that is performed when the heart is at rest and again just after the heart has worked hard. This test uses exercise or medication to increase the heart rate and the amount of blood and oxygen the heart needs to function.

Why Is This Test Done?
The stress echocardiogram lets the physician see the structures of the heart and evaluate how well the heart performs when stressed. During this test, the heart is deliberately "stressed" or forced to work harder than during normal activity. When the heart rate is increased, the demand for blood and oxygen is also increased. If the heart does not receive enough blood during exercise or when stressed, the heart's functioning will be reduced. This will be evident on an echocardiogram.

Director: Maged F. Azer, M.D.

Orange County Heart Institute
to receive full certification
One of the first centers in California to receive full certification of its nuclear medicine laboratory and of its echocardiography program.

Nuclear Cardiology

This is a type of nuclear scanning test or myocardial perfusion imaging test. It shows how well blood flows to the heart muscle. It's usually done along with an exercise stress test on a treadmill or bicycle.

The thallium stress test is useful to determine:

• Extent of a coronary artery blockage

• Prognosis of patients who've suffered a heart attack

• Effectiveness of cardiac procedures done to improve circulation in the coronary arteries

• Cause(s) of chest pain

• Level of exercise that a patient can safely perform

Director: Maged F. Azer, M.D.

Orange County Heart Institute
to receive full certification
One of the first centers in California to receive full certification of its nuclear medicine laboratory and of its echocardiography program