Nuclear Stress Testing: Preparation, Procedure Steps, and Results

Efficient blood flow is, of course, vital to your health. When conditions interfere with blood flow, doctors need to know where and why they’re happening. 

A nuclear cardiac stress test uses radioactive material to visualize blood movement in your heart. This tiny radioactive tracer shows up clearly in diagnostic imaging, identifying instances of heart damage and poor blood flow. 

Miami-based cardiologist Dr. Enrique Hernandez and his team at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins regularly use nuclear stress tests to make a diagnosis. Visit us when you’re experiencing symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath. 

Preparing for a nuclear stress test

A nuclear stress test observes your heart both at rest and at higher rates until you meet a target rate or start to experience symptoms as your heart works harder than usual. Usually, heart stress tests use treadmills or exercise bikes. 

In preparation for the test, we may ask you to fast or avoid caffeine prior to your appointment. Inform us of all medications and supplements you take regularly and whether there are conflicts with the test, and we’ll let you know which you should temporarily discontinue. 

If you suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems that require the use of an inhaler, let us know in advance and bring your inhaler to the test. Wear walking shoes and comfortable clothing suitable for activity. 

The nuclear stress test procedure

At your appointment, we ask you questions about your exercise levels and medical history to help set safe exertion limits to your test. We listen to your heart and lungs through a stethoscope to check for anything unusual that might affect your results. 

You wear a blood pressure cuff throughout the test, and you have electrodes stuck to your chest and maybe your arms and legs so we can monitor your heartbeat. 

The tracer is administered through an intravenous drip. Though the tracer is radioactive, it’s at a low level and won’t affect your body. You may feel coldness in your arm as the radiopharmaceutical enters your system. 

It takes a few minutes for your heart to absorb the tracer, and then we take images of your heart at rest before moving to the active part of the test. 

You then use the exercise equipment to begin boosting your heart rate gradually, until you reach the target rate or you start to feel symptoms. At this point, we administer another tracer. 

Once your heart absorbs this second tracer, we do another set of images. You may also have a breathing tube to monitor your respiration. You can stop exercising whenever you feel uncomfortable. 

Your test results

The second tracer shows any areas where your heart tissue receives too little blood. Comparing it to your resting image provides important information about how exertion affects your heart. 

The nuclear stress test could show that your heart responds normally to both rest and exertion, or it may identify problems. You might have regular blood flow at rest, but problems when your heart rate is raised. 

You might have impaired blood flow at rest and during exercise, or the test may show areas that have been damaged by previous heart attacks. 

We discuss your results fully with you as well as recommended treatments or further testing if it’s required. 

The first step is a consultation with us at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins. Call or click to schedule an appointment today. Your heart health is too important to ignore.