You must have heard about an electrocardiogram. The most common examination records your heart’s beat or rhythm on paper. Additionally, many other tests record images of your heart too. One of the prominent ones is the Nuclear Stress Test. Nuclear stress testing involves using radioactive material in smaller quantities to develop a picture of your heart. It’s an imaging examination, and the radioactive material is known as a tracer. The reason behind calling it a stress test is that it can only detect a problem in your heart while you are exercising.
Now that you are clear on the definition of the examination. Let’s dive into an in-depth analysis of nuclear tests and the process’s purpose.
What Is A Nuclear Stress Test?
A nuclear stress test helps doctors visualize the heart’s electrical activity during exercise. It’s very different from regular testing. An electrocardiogram using for a routine examination to record your heart rhythm and beat. On the other hand, a nuclear stress test takes a picture of the inside of your heart.
Also, it determines the cause of sudden chest pain, which might be due to underlying heart disease. The test is an advanced diagnostic tool for stratifying disease risk, determining treatment progress, and assessing recovery after a heart attack.
The examination shows the rate, EKG, and blood pressure while exercising or running on the treadmill. It also captures images of the blood. The logic behind calling it a stress test is that whenever you work out or exercise, there’s specific stress that your heart experiences in the process.
What Is The Purpose of The Stress Test?
Nuclear stress testing is usually done if you show specific symptoms or signs of CAD. These signs may include unbearable chest pain or dyspnoea (shortness of breath). This test also detects blockages and helps the doctor assess the degree of blockage.
Moreover, these tests most commonly use to check for blockages. A blockage can be a symptom of CAD (coronary artery disease). In this disease, fatty deposits build up in the blood vessels that lead the path to the heart. The examination determines the severity of blockages and the necessary actions to conduct. One can examine CAD through other tests as well.
The examination also detects your heart’s pumping rate and indicates an appropriate amount of blood supply. If there’s an issue in your muscles or valves, for that matter, this examination indeed determines it.
Also, it can help you determine the rate at which you’re performing an exercise compared to people of your age, height, and other demographics.
Based on this examination, care providers decide the further step that needs to take. At times, another test must do to determine the intensity of the underlying issue. Further, you will give a treatment plan, a set of exercises you must perform daily.
Additional Insights On A Nuclear Stress Test
People may have specific questions regarding taking medications before the examination. If you’re consuming any diabetes or asthma medicines, stop them 48 hours before the test. Also, don’t consume aspirin or any other medication without consulting your doctor.
But there is nothing to worry about; the radioactivity of the tracer will gone in just a day. You can drink water, which would help it to pass through your stool easily.
Conclusion
Nuclear stress testing is a great way to detect any underlying disease. One can also learn about the heart rate, adequate blood supply, and much more. It’s completely safe to go for this examination as the radiation doesn’t cause any health problems.
Further, the results of this examination can help determine any disease and help the doctor generate a plan at the earliest, depending on the condition’s intensity.