Exercise Stress Echocardiography
GENERAL INFORMATION:
What is an exercise stress echocardiography?
- An exercise stress echocardiography is a test that shows the activity of the heart during exercise. It may also be called exercise echo or stress echo. This test shows how well your heart can handle stress. Exercise is a form of body stress. The longer you exercise, the harder your body needs to work. Your heart must work double time to pump more blood to supply the body with more oxygen.
- An exercise stress echocardiography uses sound waves to make images of the heart before, during, and after the exercise. Images at rest are compared with those during and after exercise to know how the heart responds to exercise. There are times when arteries of the heart get blocked and its muscles get damaged. When this happens, the heart must work even harder to supply oxygen-rich blood to the body. The damage or blockage may be seen when an exercise echo is done. Heart wall movement and heart valves are also seen during this test. Having an exercise stress echocardiography may help find a heart condition, and prevent other medical problems.
Who may need an exercise stress echocardiography? People who have heart-related symptoms, such as chest pain, may need to have an exercise echo. This is to know if their condition can still be treated with medicines or would need surgery. The test may also monitor the effect of the medicines given in treating the condition. People with recent heart problems or who have had surgery may need the test before leaving the hospital.
Why is an exercise stress echocardiography needed? Your caregiver may ask you to have an exercise echo done to diagnose or monitor your condition. This helps in checking if you are at risk of a possible heart attack. It looks for the cause of your symptoms such as, chest pain, shortness of breath, and weakness. You may need this test if you recently had a heart attack or have symptoms after using your medicine. This test may tell caregivers the type and level of exercise that is best for you.
How is an exercise stress echocardiography done? An exercise echo may be done in a clinic, a caregiver's office, or in a hospital.
- Electrodes (sticky patches) will be put on your chest. If you have hair on parts of your chest or back, it may be shaved to help the patches stick to your skin. The electrodes will be attached to wires that send the electrical activity of your heart to the electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor.
- You will need to exercise using a stationary bicycle or a treadmill. A treadmill is a machine on which you can walk or jog in place. While you do the exercise, the activity of your heart is being watched on the ECG monitor.
- Pictures of your heart while doing its work will be recorded using an echocardiogram. Echocardiography (ultrasound) makes use of high-frequency sound waves that gives your caregivers a moving picture of your heart. The sound waves are sent to the body with a special device called a transducer. The sound waves hit the heart, bounce off, and return to the transducer as echoes. The echoes are changed into pictures on a screen which show a picture of your heart.
Where can I find more information? Contact the following for more information:
- American Heart Association National Center
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231-4596
Phone: 1-800-242-8721
Web Address: http://www.americanheart.org
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.
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