Why am I Advised a Stress Test ?
Nothing to worry !! A stress test is a routine test advised primarily to help your doctor determine if your heart receives enough oxygen and proper blood flow when it needs it most, such as when you are exercising.
At Cardium clinic, It is normally prescribed for patients who have been experiencing chest pains or other symptoms of coronary artery disease like unexplained shortness of breath, high cholesterol or being overweight.
Risk of CAD is lower if the test results are normal even If you do have symptoms. Its a screening test that helps us understand the underlying CAD better.
Stress test is hence the first step to find out if one or more of the coronary arteries feeding the heart contain fatty deposits (plaques) that block a blood vessel 70% or more. However at Cardium we don’t rely on this as a single parameter & additional testing is often required to confirm the test result.
| Test result | Inference | What is the next step? |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | You do not have significant coronary artery disease (70% or greater artery blockage). | Nothing to worry & Patient is advised lifestyle changes with medication, We may want to do further testing if you have other risk factors for heart disease that raise concern. |
| Abnormal | You may have significant coronary artery disease (70% or greater blockage). | At Cardium, We don’t rely on a single parameter & look at multiple data points. You may be prescribed additional tests to confirm that you have coronary artery disease & to rule out false alarm. |