Stress echocardiography is a very accurate test that uses ultrasound imaging to show how well your heart muscle is working to pump blood to your body during exercise. It is mainly used to investigate for coronary heart disease.
Your doctor may order this test:
- To investigate the cause of chest pain
- Have recently had a heart attack
- To assess your fitness for surgery
- To assess how your heart valves function during exercise
What to expect during stress echocardiography at Echo Heart Centre
A resting echocardiogram will be done first.
You will be asked to walk on a treadmill. Every 3 minutes the speed and incline of the treadmill will increase
Usually, you will need to walk for around 5 to 12 minutes. Your doctor will ask you to stop:
- When your heart is beating at the target rate
- When you are too tired to continue
- If you are having chest pain
- There is a change in your blood pressure that concerns your doctor
Your blood pressure and heart rhythm (ECG) will be monitored throughout the procedure.
Immediately after exercise, more echocardiogram images will be taken. These will be compared to the resting images revealing whether any part of the heart pumps less effectively with exercise. This is a sign that the heart muscle may not be getting enough blood or oxygen because of narrowed or blocked arteries.
Preparing for your stress echocardiography
