Understanding What Nuclear Stress Testing Is, What It Involves, And What Happens During The Procedure

If a resting electrocardiogram fails to show any existing abnormalities, it is necessary to carry out stress testing.  Typically, it is a test performed to help diagnose an existing heart problem, especially when your electrocardiogram has shown no results. That’s why nuclear testing in Port Saint Lucie is performed by a group of specialists experienced in using nuclear stress testing to help determine the cause of your cardiac symptoms.

What is stress testing?

Stress testing is one of the diagnostic procedures that involve the use of both physical exercise and electrocardiogram. Generally, an electrocardiogram is one of the tests performed after your initial consultation, which is a painless and non-invasive test performed to help diagnose various heart conditions. However, there are also other heart conditions that this test cannot detect. 

Therefore, if you might have a heart problem, but your electrocardiogram results are normal, stress testing is always recommended to reveal some missing information. It is because when you exercise your heart, it begins beating harder and faster such that some causes of your symptoms may become evident, especially those that a resting echocardiogram cannot pinpoint. Nuclear stress testing involves injecting a radioactive dye into your body to show how well blood is flowing through your heart muscles. It is a test that is very helpful in detecting any arterial blockages and dead or damaged heart muscles.

What does stress testing involve?

In most cases, the health care provider provides you with every detail concerning the preparations you are supposed to make, including when to stop eating and whether you can proceed to take your usual medications. At the start of your stress testing procedure, the technician attaches wires that contain sticky pads on them or electrodes to your body. These electrodes pick up the electoral activities in your heart muscles and send them to an electrocardiogram machine.

After electrodes have been put in place, you begin walking on the treadmill while following instructions. You are advised to increase your speed slowly until your heartbeat reaches the rate that the health care provider has set, then slow down once more. However, if you cannot undertake the exercise on a treadmill since you are physically not able, the health care provider can increase your heart rate using medications.

What happens after the stress testing procedure?

After the exercise, you keep the electrodes on, and at that time, your heart will begin slowing down to its normal resting state. The EKG is very useful in providing information about your heart’s function at the time when you are recovering. Your health care provider will analyze the information obtained and then discuss them with you.

In summary, if someone close to you is suffering from a heart condition that an electrocardiogram cannot detect, a nuclear stress test may be recommended to help in pinpointing some of the problems that a resting echocardiogram might have missed out on. Visit or call TLC Medical Group Inc today and have your test performed. You will be educated on what is involved in the procedure and what you are expected to do.