subject: A Peek at Cardiac Stress Tests [print this page] A Peek at Cardiac Stress Tests A Peek at Cardiac Stress Tests
The cardiologists most important resource is the stress test when a diagnosis needs to be made to look for heart disease of any kind. Doctors work with trained technicians for optimal results when performing stress tests. Different tests are required to diagnose different conditions and they all have their very own unique sets of requirements. In addition to the tests themselves having a significant impact on how reliable the diagnosis is but the conditions in which the test was given do as well. One thing doctors want to discover is just how much stress the heart can take before it impacts the behavior or functioning of the heart. The exercise stress test, while best suited for a specific application, is the one that most people are familiar with.
One variety of nuclear stress test uses Thallium, which is a radioactive compound. Do keep in mind that the levels are extremely low and do not cause any harm to the body. Thallium's radioactive levels also decrease over time and it is quickly eliminated from the body via natural means.
With the help of Thallium, doctors can get a fairly accurate idea of the size of the chambers in your heart. Doctors can judge the health of your heart based on this information. In addition, doctors will gain insights into the ability of the heart to pump blood. When a doctor looks at images of the heart pumping blood, they can also determine if there is any existing heart damage.
The stress EKG test is very helpful for doctors because it can give an exact picture of how well the heart pumps blood. Also, the walls of the heart can be seen and the movement can supply more information about possible irregularities. Once again, as in other tests it is the response of the heart while in a stressed state that doctors are most interested to learn about. The EKG just provides a snapshot of how the heart is performing while in a stressed manner. The advantage of this test is that it can show blood flow deficiencies, due to blockage, that may not be detected when other tests are performed.
Various factors can influence the reliability of the isotope stress test.
The clarity of the image is important as well as whether or not the subject has achieved a certain target heart rate. If these vital conditions are satisfied, such a stress test can return a reliable diagnosis in almost 85% of subjects who suffer from coronary artery disease. Considering that there are other variables that play a role in the accuracy of this test, 100% infallibility cannot be achieved. Of course there are also false positives in addition to a range of conditions that can interfere with making an accurate diagnosis. Every kind of cardiac stress test has pros and goal. They make it possible for doctors to get the exact diagnosis available. Keep in mind that there are various conditions for every test that could possible affect each of the results and diagnosis.
