Cardiac Stress Test

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• A cardiac stress test is also called an exercise test or a treadmill test. This test may help your caregiver see how well your heart works during exercise. Exercise is a form of body stress. The longer you exercise, the harder your body needs to work. The heart must work double time to pump more blood to supply the body with more oxygen. A cardiac stress test may check for risks of a possible heart problem or diagnose an existing heart problem. It will also tell caregivers the type and level of exercise that will be best for you.
  
  
• During a cardiac stress test, you may be asked to exercise on a stationary bicycle, or to walk or jog on a treadmill. While doing this, your heart will be watched on a monitor. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is used to have tracings of your heart activity. Your caregiver will be watching you during this test. Your breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate are also checked while you are exercising. You may get tired, have trouble breathing, or start having chest pains while doing the test. Your caregiver may give you medicines or ask you not to continue doing the test.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take your medicine as directed:

Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not working as expected. Tell him if you are allergic to any medicine. Keep a current list of the medicines, vitamins, and herbs you take. Include the amounts, and when, how, and why you take them. Take the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits. Carry your medicine list with you in case of an emergency. Throw away old medicine lists.

Ask for information about where and when to go for follow-up visits:

For continuing care, treatments, or home services, ask for more information.

Lifestyle changes:

After the test results are looked at, caregivers may suggest that you make lifestyle changes such as the following:

• Diet changes: Eat a variety of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, low-fat dairy products, beans, lean meat and fish. Eating healthy foods may help you have more energy. Ask your caregiver if you need to be on a special diet.
  
  
• Drinking liquids: Adults should drink about 9 to 13 cups of liquid each day. One cup is 8 ounces. Good choices of liquids for most people include water, juice, and milk. Coffee, soup, and fruit may be counted in your daily liquid amount. Ask your caregiver how much liquid you should drink each day.
  
  
• Start exercising: Talk to your caregiver before you start exercising. Together you can plan the best exercise program for you. It is best to start slowly and do more as you get stronger. Exercising can help make your heart stronger, lower your blood pressure, and keep you healthy.
  
  
• Quit smoking: It is never too late to quit smoking. Smoking harms the heart, lungs, and the blood. You are more likely to have a heart attack, lung disease, and cancer if you smoke. You will help yourself and those around you by not smoking. Ask your caregiver for more information about how to stop smoking if you are having trouble quitting.

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

• You feel dizzy and lightheaded.
  
  
• You have nausea (upset stomach) or vomiting (throwing up).
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your procedure, or medicine.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

• You have trouble breathing all of a sudden.
  
  
• You have chest pain even after taking medicines.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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