Stress Testing Specialist

What is stress testing?

A stress test monitors and records the performance of your heart during physical activity It’s sometimes called an “exercise stress test” because you walk on a treadmill while your doctor monitors your heart rhythm, blood pressure, and breathing. Stress testing is noninvasive. 

At Coral Gables Cardiology Associates, the team offers stress echocardiography as well as conventional stress testing. Stress echocardiography creates images of your heart at rest and when it reaches peak levels. It shows if your heart muscles are getting enough blood and oxygen while you exercise. Abnormalities in the rhythm tracings (EKG) or heart motion (Echocardiogram) with exercise often indicate heart artery blockages may be present.

Why would I need a stress test?

The team at Coral Gables Cardiology Associates uses stress tests to determine if:

• You have abnormal blood flow in your heart suggestive of blockages;
• You have an irregular heartbeat or heart rhythm problem;
• Your exertional symptoms are related to a heart issue;
• Your heart disease treatments are working; and,
• You need additional testing.

When necessary or required by certain athletic organizations, the team also uses stress tests as part of pre-sports evaluations to identify cardiovascular issues which may lead to problems down the road with high-level competition.

How should I prepare for stress testing? 

Your doctor might request that you stop taking certain medicines before your stress test. They might also ask you to avoid eating, drinking, or smoking for several hours before your stress test appointment.

You should wear comfortable clothing and athletic shoes to your appointment since exercise is part of the test. 

What happens during a stress test?

A stress test usually takes around 45 minutes from set up to completion. Before you start the test, the doctor reviews your medical history and current symptoms. 

Then, the technician or doctor attaches electrodes to your chest and back to monitor and record your heart activity. They also fit a blood pressure cuff on your arm. 

You begin to walk on the treadmill, gradually increasing the intensity of your activity. If you can’t walk, your doctor may arrange for a stress test in the hospital where you are given a medication that increases blood flow to your heart, mimicking what happens when you exercise.

If you’re having stress echocardiography, you stop exercising when you reach your peak effort, just like with a regular stress test. But there’s an additional step, as the technician uses an ultrasound transducer to collect images of your heart after peak exercise and which will be compared to your baseline (non
exercise) images.

After your stress test, your doctor reviews your results and next steps.

Speak to your physician to learn more about the on-site stress-testing offered at Coral Gables Cardiology Associates

We serve the greater Miami, Florida area. Call us to book your appointment today.