Here's What a Stress Test Can (and Can't) Reveal About Your Heart

While it can provide valuable insight into your health, a stress test alone might not diagnose a serious heart condition. Let’s take a look at what a stress test tells you about your heart, and when you may need further testing.

A stress test offers valuable insight into your cardiovascular health. You may need one to determine the cause of heart-related symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or an irregular heartbeat.

During a stress test, we measure how effectively your heart pumps blood as it works increasingly hard. This typically involves walking on a treadmill or stationary bike for a period of time while we measure your heart and breathing.

At Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins, Dr. Enrique Hernandez offers a wide range of diagnostic tests, including stress tests. While it can reveal important information regarding your heart health, a stress test alone isn’t enough to diagnose a serious heart condition.

Let’s take a look at what a stress test is able to tell you about your heart, and when you may need further testing.

What to expect

If you have symptoms of a heart problem such as coronary artery disease (CAD) or arrhythmia, Dr. Hernandez may suggest a stress test as a first step toward a diagnosis. As you engage in exercise, we monitor the electrical energy your heart produces with an electrocardiogram (EKG), as well as your blood pressure and breathing.

You start slowly, and then we increase the speed of the treadmill or stationary bike at regular intervals until your heart hits a predetermined target rate. The test also ends if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath, or we notice problems in your EKG.

Patients who are unable to exercise due to a pre-existing health condition can benefit from a pharmacologic stress test. We use medication instead of physical exertion to increase your heart rate while we record your vitals.

After your test is complete and your results are ready, Dr. Hernandez reviews them with you before we move forward with a treatment plan or additional tests.

What your results can reveal

The results of your stress test can be either normal or abnormal. Normal results generally indicate that there is enough blood flow and your heart is pumping properly, but if you have other risk factors for CAD, we may recommend additional testing.

In a similar way, abnormal results don’t necessarily mean you have heart disease, but it can serve as an early warning. Abnormal results tell us that one or more of your coronary arteries has a blockage of 70% or greater.

If your stress test comes back with abnormal results, we order additional tests, such as a coronary angiogram, to confirm a diagnosis. Lifestyle modifications and medication can help you manage the symptoms of heart disease. In serious cases, surgery may be necessary to reopen blocked arteries.

A stress test is a painless, noninvasive way for Dr. Hernandez and the team to evaluate your heart health. If you’re concerned about heart disease, call or click to make an appointment at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida, today.