What the Results of a Stress Test Tell Your Doctor

A stress test assesses how your heart functions when it’s under physical strain, such as exercise. Your doctor may order a stress test if you’re showing signs of cardiac disease, such as shortness of breath and chest pain. The results tell them the underlying cause(s) of your symptoms so they can administer proper treatment.

The expert team of vascular specialists at Heart Vascular & Leg Center in Bakersfield, California, routinely conducts stress tests for our patients who are at risk for cardiac disease or for those who already have it. Here’s what we want you to know about stress tests and what the results mean for your health.

Why do doctors order a stress test?

A stress test allows us to determine how well your heart handles its workload. Because the test pushes the heart to work harder than normal, it needs to pump more blood to keep pace with the activity. 

If it can’t keep up, the results will show a lack of blood supply through the arteries leading to the heart. The results also help us understand the kind and level of physical activity that’s right for you.

Doctors order stress tests to learn:

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

There are three primary types of stress tests. By far the most common is the exercise stress test, also called a treadmill stress test or a stress EKG. You spend 15-20 minutes walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike, while we continually increase the speed to make your heart work harder. During the test, we monitor your blood pressure, pulse, and your heart’s electrical activity. If at any point you’re feeling ill, just let us know, and we can stop the test.

If you can’t exercise, we may use medication to trigger the same effect on your heart. This is the second type.

The third type is called a nuclear heart test or radionuclide scan. It provides additional details and a more accurate assessment of your heart’s function. It’s similar to the exercise stress test, but we inject a tracer dye into your bloodstream to highlight your heart and blood flow. 

If the dye can’t penetrate a certain area, it indicates you have a blockage. The tracer is picked up by a cardiac PET (positron emission tomography) scan following the activity.

What else do the results of a stress test tell your doctor?

The results of the stress test indicate:

• If your heart gets enough blood during exercise
• Any abnormalities in your heart rate (pulse)
• Any abnormalities in your blood pressure
• Any changes in the heart’s rhythm (arrhythmias)
• Abnormal electrical activity in your heart (important for effective contractions)
• Tolerance for physical activity

If you develop chest pain or shortness of breath during the test, these may indicate that you have carotid artery disease (CAD), a blockage in the arteries supplying the brain. In this case, we order additional tests, such as a carotid ultrasound, to obtain more information.

It’s also interesting to note that a study presented in 2013 at the American Thoracic Society conference suggested that a stress test could also identify people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder where you periodically stop breathing while you’re asleep. As OSA can also stress the heart, a stress test might flag those most at risk for experiencing life-threatening complications.

If you’re experiencing symptoms that may indicate some form of heart disease, it’s time to come into Heart Vascular & Leg Center for an evaluation with one of our vascular specialists, who can order a stress test and provide appropriate treatment. 

Give our office a call at 661-443-5524, or book your appointment online today. Heart disease is a serious condition, and time is of the essence.