How Cardiovascular Stress Tests Differ

If you have symptoms of cardiovascular disease, then your doctor will refer you to a specialist. Depending upon your particular condition, cardiologists will choose a stress test that is appropriate. Stressing your heart is the purpose of a diagnostic test of the sort. Choosing the right one is what cardiologists will do. The goal is to stress your heart and then perform another test to reveal information. Now lets look at some different options for stress tests that you may be given by your doctor.

Have you heard of an echocardiogram? It is a very popular stress test given by cardiologists. This is a heart test that can help them understand what is currently happening with your heart. When you do the stress test, your physician can see what is happening with your heart while it’s going on. The heart will look completely different when it is in a state of rest opposed to being stressed. The stress test consists of getting the patient to exercise, making their heart rate rise to a certain point. Once your heart rate is high, or in an exercise state, the echocardiogram can be done. The stress test will reveal, via the echocardiogram, something is wrong. Your doctor will be able to make that determination. You could have blockages in your arteries and vessels, causing problems for your heart in many ways.

If you have a test that uses sound waves to produce an image of your heart, this is called an echocardiogram. You could use a treadmill to measure heart activity, along with a variety of other methods. The EKG was the predecessor of this test which utilized electrodes on the chest at strategic locations.

The EKG is actually produced by the electrical activity of the heart which is recorded. Essentially, both the EKG and the echocardiogram can be used by the doctor for one diagnosis. The treadmill exercise actually serves to send out sound waves to provide images of the heart based upon the patient’s heart rate. Since the images are like videos, a trained doctor needs to interpret the data.

It is essential that you have a word with your doctor about the different types of stress tests if he recommends you undergo one. The obvious differences are whether you see an image or an EKG. But you don’t want to settle for those obvious differences. You need to discover why one is preferred over another and this should be answered by a cardiologist. Usually, you’ll find it’s the specialist or cardiologist who decides on the test. The treadmill test is cheap when compared to a nuclear stress test. It takes about seven days for the radioisotopes in your system to break down. The EKG/treadmill test is the best option for you if you don’t like the idea of radioactive substances being injected into your system.

Your heart, as well as your cardiovascular system, can be checked out using a stress test. They can help you determine if anything wrong is going on. Another opinion may be something that you will feel comfortable with getting. Another stress test might be your only option, but it may actually help you.