Stress Testing Specialist
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Ferncreek Cardiology, PA
Cardiology located in Fayetteville, NC
Stress testing is the only diagnostic tool that provides information about how your heart responds when exercise forces it to work harder. At Ferncreek Cardiology, PA, Manesh Thomas, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Matthew Daka, MD, FACC, FSCAI, and Selveratnam Sinna, MD, perform several types of stress tests to accurately diagnose problems with your heart and create a treatment plan uniquely designed to meet your health care needs. To learn more about stress testing, call the office in Fayetteville, North Carolina, or book an appointment online today.
Stress Testing Q & A
What is a stress test?
A stress test is a diagnostic procedure that shows how well your heart functions when forced to work harder and pump more blood. The test provides details about your heart and reveals problems that don’t show up with other diagnostic tests.
When would I need to have stress testing?
The team at Ferncreek Cardiology, PA, uses stress testing to diagnose the cause of symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.
A stress test helps identify conditions such as:
- Heart failure
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart arrhythmias
- Heart valve disease
- Cardiomyopathy
You may also need a stress test to evaluate the effectiveness of your current heart treatment or to determine if you’re ready to exercise again after you recover from a heart attack.
What happens during an exercise stress test?
During an exercise stress test, you walk on a treadmill to boost your heart rate. Before the test starts, your provider puts a blood pressure cuff on your arm and electrodes on your chest. They connect the electrodes to an EKG machine that continuously records your heart’s electrical activity.
The test starts at a slow speed, and then your provider increases the speed of the treadmill every few minutes. You keep exercising until you reach your peak heart rate or develop symptoms and need to stop.
What other type of stress testing might I need?
Ferncreek Cardiology, PA, may perform one of the following stress tests:
Pharmacologic stress test
If you can’t tolerate an exercise stress test, your provider gives you medication that increases your heartbeat.
Stress echocardiogram
An echocardiogram takes images of your heart using ultrasound. When you have a stress echocardiogram, your provider takes an image of your heart before and after your stress test.
Nuclear stress test
A nuclear stress test also involves taking images of your heart before and after a stress test. However, to create the images, they inject a radioactive substance called a radiotracer.
The tracers attach to blood cells and travel to your heart. Ferncreek Cardiology, PA, takes a picture of your heart using a specialized camera that picks up energy from the tracers. Then the energy translates into images that show details about blood flow and metabolic activity in your heart.
To learn more about stress tests or to schedule an appointment, call Ferncreek Cardiology, PA, or use the online booking feature today.