A stress test looks at how your heart behaves when it has to work harder. It is used to find the cause of chest pain, to see whether enough blood reaches the heart, and to learn how much exercise you can do safely.
A stress echocardiogram adds an ultrasound of the heart before and after the effort. This way the specialist can compare how the muscle moves at rest and when it works harder.
For this test, come with an adult who can make decisions and sign the informed consent. Take your time to read the preparation instructions: they include fasting, avoiding caffeine and reviewing some of your medicines with your doctor.
Your test, step by step
Before
- Fasting
- No food for 5 hours and no drinks for 3 hours
- Do not eat solid food (bread, arepa, eggs, meat, chicken) for 5 hours before, or drink liquids (water, juice, herbal tea, aguapanela) for 3 hours before.
- If your appointment is between 9:00 and 11:30 a.m., you may have a drink, such as herbal tea or juice without milk, up to 3 hours before.
- If you take any of these medicines, the protocol asks you to stop it 48 hours before: aminophylline, metoprolol (Betaloc, Lopresor), carvedilol (Dilatrend), bisoprolol (Concor), propranolol or sotalol. Calcium channel blockers (verapamil, diltiazem, amlodipine, nifedipine or nimodipine) are stopped 72 hours before. Check with your doctor first.
- Men should shave their chest.
- Wear sneakers and loose clothes for exercise.
- Tell us if you have any condition that keeps you from exercising, such as knee, hip, back or muscle problems.
- Come with only one adult. Do not bring children or teenagers, or a companion with physical limitations.
- Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment to complete the paperwork.
What to bring
- Doctor's order.
- Copy of your ID and your health insurance card.
- Authorization from your health insurer.
During
- Electrodes are placed on your chest, and a cuff is put on your arm to measure your blood pressure.
- You walk on a treadmill that slowly increases its speed and incline, while the team watches your heart and your blood pressure.
- In the stress echocardiogram, pictures of your heart are also taken before and right after exercise. If you can't exercise, a medicine makes your heart work harder.
- Tell the staff right away if you feel chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or a lot of tiredness. The test can be stopped at any time.
After
- You rest for a few minutes, under observation, while your pulse and blood pressure go back to normal.
- Ask when you can start taking again any medicines you were asked to stop before the test.
Questions to ask your doctor
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