Exercise stress testing is an invaluable tool for examining the cardiovascular system's response to exercise
. It provides important diagnostic and prognostic information that cardiologists and radiologists use to evaluate and manage patients with heart disease. When performed by trained physicians in appropriately selected patients, exercise stress testing is a safe procedure that poses minimal risks and can provide a wealth of information.
Who needs a Stress Test?
Although there are many reasons for your doctor to order a stress test, the most common reason is to evaluate the cause of chest pain. Because chest pain can come from areas other than the heart, such as the esophagus or the chest wall, a stress test can be helpful in determining the likelihood of whether or not you have heart disease. Sometimes a physician may ask you to have a stress test in the absence of chest pain if he or she suspects you are at increased risk of having coronary artery disease (also referred to as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries). Stress tests can also aid in the diagnosis and management of arrhythmias, which are abnormal and potentially harmful heart rhythms. Holter monitors can be worn on an outpatient basis and will record 24 hours of EKG tracing.
United Cardiac Services offers the latest Holter software analysis program for the most difficult patients. The software has been validated by over 30 databases from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and American Health Association. This analysis program has been validated for accuracy and reliability for over 30 years.