What a Stress Test Can Tell You About Your Heart

If your cardiologist orders a stress test, it’s because they need to obtain more information about your heart and how it functions. The test measures what happens to your heart when it’s placed under physical stress, such as exercise. The results help them determine the underlying cause of symptoms, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, which, in turn, informs effective treatment

At Heart Vascular & Leg Center, our expert team of vascular specialists routinely conducts stress tests for our patients in Bakersfield, California, who are at risk for cardiac disease or who’ve already been diagnosed. Here’s what a stress test can tell us about your heart.

What a stress test can tell your doctor about your heart

A stress test’s primary function is to determine how well your heart handles its workload. The test increases your body’s need for oxygen, so your heart needs to pump more oxygenated blood to keep pace with the activity. 

If your heart is weak or damaged, the test results highlight a lack of adequate blood supply through the arteries leading to the heart. These results also help us determine the kind and level of physical activity that’s right for you.

Stress tests results can show:

• If your heartbeat is irregular
• If symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath, chest pain) are related to your heart
• If your current heart-related treatments are working effectively
• If you need further tests to detect narrowed arteries
• How hard you should exercise when joining a cardiac rehabilitation program or starting an exercise regimen

There are three different types of stress tests. The most common type is the exercise stress test, also known as a treadmill stress test or a stress EKG. We have you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike for about 15-20 minutes, during which time we continually increase the speed to make your heart work harder. At the same time, we monitor your blood pressure, pulse, and your heart’s electrical activity (EKG).

If you’re unable to exercise, we can use a medication to produce the same effect on your heart. This is the second type.

The third type, known as a nuclear heart test or radionuclide scan, provides a more detailed assessment of your heart’s function. It’s similar to the exercise stress test, but we inject a tracer dye into your bloodstream that highlights your heart and blood flow. 

If the dye is unable to penetrate a certain area, it indicates you have a blockage that needs to be cleared to restore normal heart function. The tracer shows up on a cardiac PET (positron emission tomography) scan that’s performed after the exercise.

The stress test results can also reveal other important details about your heart:

• If it gets enough blood during exercise
• Any abnormalities in its rate (your pulse)
• Any abnormalities in your blood pressure (its pumping effectiveness)
• Any changes in its rhythm (arrhythmias)
• Abnormal electrical activity (important for effective contractions)

If during the test, you develop chest pain or shortness of breath, it may indicate you have carotid artery disease (CAD), a blockage in the arteries that supply the brain. To follow up, we order additional tests, such as a carotid ultrasound.

As an interesting addendum to typical stress test results, a study presented in 2013 at the American Thoracic Society conference suggested that the test could also identify people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder characterized by a lack of breathing while you’re asleep. Since OSA can also stress the heart, a stress test might help doctors determine who’s at risk for experiencing life-threatening complications.

If you’re at risk for heart disease, or if you’re experiencing symptoms that may indicate a problem, it’s time to come into Heart Vascular & Leg Center for an evaluation with one of our vascular specialists. Give our office a call at 661-443-5524 to set one up, or book online today.