Even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, in many cases, it can be prevented. In fact, one in three deaths due to heart disease could have been prevented. If you take the right steps now to care for and evaluate your heart health, you may continue pumping for many years to decades to come.
One way to evaluate your current heart health and to determine a preventive plan is through a stress test. You don’t even have to have cardiac symptoms, problems, or a family history of cardiovascular disease to benefit from this simple, noninvasive test.
At RK Heart & Vascular Care, we are proud to offer preventive cardiac care in addition to cardiovascular disease treatment and management. At our offices in Memphis, Tennessee, and Senatobia, Mississippi, our triple-board-certified cardiologist, Ritin Bomb, MD, FACC, helps you make lifestyle changes to protect your heart and may advise a stress test.
Who needs a stress test, what does it do, and how often should you have one? The answers are below.
A stress test measures your heart’s function at rest and during stress. If you’re in shape and healthy, this stress may take the form of running on a treadmill or using a stationary bike. If you’re not healthy enough for exercise, we may give you a drug that increases your heart rate.
First, we place electrodes on your chest and other areas that pick up the electrical activity in your heart and cardiac arteries. The electrodes send signals back to an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine, which translates them into waveforms. These waveforms inform us how efficiently your heart pumps and blood vessels circulate your blood.
During a stress test, we record other parameters, including your respiration rate and blood-oxygen levels. A stress test allows us to “see” your heart and blood vessels at work and at rest, and to compare the two.
Based on your results, we may recommend a treatment plan, which could include lifestyle changes, medication, or both.
We usually order a stress test if heart problems are suspected. Symptoms that may prompt a stress test include:
We may also order a stress test — or you may request one — if you’re about to undertake a high-stress activity, such as scuba diving or high-altitude climbing. Athletes often undergo stress tests to ensure they’re in the best shape possible.
You may need a stress test before you undertake a new exercise routine (especially if you’ve been sedentary for a long time), new weight-loss medications, or begin a weight-loss diet. We may also order a stress test to evaluate whether a medication or interventional therapy has improved your cardiac health.
A stress test is one of the most stress-free tests you can get. There are no needles or punctures. We may need to shave a little body hair to ensure the electrodes contact your skin.
We first apply electrodes on your skin. Then, we wrap a blood pressure cuff around your arm. In some instances, you may need to breathe into a tube.
Next, we record your resting heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. We establish your heart’s electrical activity at different points during your stress test.
After establishing your resting rates, we move on to the stress portion of the test. If you are exercising, you slowly begin to walk or pedal. You continue to increase your level of exertion until you reach your limit. If you’re using medication instead of exercise for stress, we wait until it raises your heart rate.
Once you’ve reached your maximum heart rate, we slow things down (or allow the medication to wear off). We continue recording your vital signs as they return to resting levels.
After the test, Dr. Bomb analyzes the data and recommends treatment or prevention based on your results. You may need follow-up stress tests to evaluate your progress on medications or treatment plans.
Are you ready for a stress test to evaluate your cardiac health and prevent future events? Contact our friendly team today by phone or online form.