stress_test : Treadmill Stress Test
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How does a Regular Stress Test Work?
Patients with coronary artery blockages may have minimal symptoms and an unremarkable or unchanged EKG while at rest. However, symptoms and signs of heart disease may become unmasked by exposing the heart to the stress of exercise. During exercise, healthy coronary arteries dilate (develop a more open channel) than an artery that has a blockage. This unequal dilation causes more blood to be delivered to heart muscle supplied by the normal artery. In contrast, narrowed arteries end up supplying reduced flow to it's area of distribution. This reduced flow causes the involved muscle to "starve" during exercise(heavy or light physical exertions) . The "starvation" may produce symptoms (like chest discomfort or inappropriate shortness of breath), and the EKG may produce characteristic abnormalities. Most commonly, a motorized treadmill is used for exercise, while a stationary bicycle is used in some exercise laboratories. When is a Regular Stress Test ordered? A regular stress test is considered in the following circumstances:
Patients with symptoms or signs that are suggestive of coronary artery diseases (CAD). Patients with significant risk factors for CAD.
To evaluate exercise tolerance when patients have unexplained fatigue and shortness of breath.
To evaluate blood pressure response to exercise in patients with borderline hypertension.
To look for exercise-induced serious irregular heart beats. Please remember that the regular stress test is heavily dependent upon interpretation of EKG changes produced by exercise.
Therefore, the reliability drops drastically if there are significant EKG changes at rest (for example in patients with long standing high blood pressure, an artificial cardiac pacemaker, use of medications like digitalis, or presence of a bundle branch block pattern, etc.). In all such cases, the physician will usually order an Echo Stress Test or a Nuclear Stress Test, particularly if he or she is suspecting coronary artery disease. However, a regular stress may be sufficient in stable patients or those with a low suspicion of coronary artery disease who are being assessed for exercise tolerance (for example, prior to undergoing a structured exercise or rehab program).
Preparing for the Regular Stress Test:
The following recommendations are "generic" for all types of cardiac stress tests: Do not eat or drink for three hours prior to the procedure. This reduces the likelihood of nausea that may accompany strenuous exercise after a heavy meal. Diabetics, particularly those who use insulin, will need special instructions from the physician's office. Specific heart medicines may need to be stopped one or two days prior to the test. Such instructions are generally provided when the test is scheduled. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that are suitable for exercise. An explanation of the test is provided and the patient is asked to sign a consent form. How long does the entire test take? A patient should allow approximately one hour for the entire test, including the preparation.
How is a Regular Treadmill Stress Test Performed?
The patient is brought to the exercise(running, jogging, climbing, etc) laboratory where the heart rate and blood pressure are recorded at rest. Sticky electrodes are attached to the chest, shoulders and hips and connected to the EKG portion of the Stress test machine. A 12-lead EKG is recorded on paper. Each lead of the EKG represents a different portion of the heart, with adjacent leads representing a single wall. For example:
Leads 2, 3, and aVF = bottom or inferior portion of the heart.
Leads V1 and V2 = septum or partition of the heart.
Leads V3, V4, V5 and V6 = anterior or front portion of the heart. Leads 1 and aVL = superior or top and outer left portion of the heart.
Lead aVR looks at the cavity of the heart and has almost no clinical value in identifying coronary disease.
Three of the EKG leads are also constantly displayed on the treadmill monitor. Each lead representing a different wall. The physician has the option of selecting different combinations of three.
The treadmill is then started at a relatively slow "warm-up" speed. The treadmill speed and it's slope or inclination are increased every three minutes according to a preprogrammed protocol (Bruce is the commonest protocol in the USA, but several other protocols are perfectly acceptable). The protocol dictates the precise speed and slope. Each three minute interval is known as a Stage (Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, etc. Thus a patient completing Stage 3 has exercised for 3 x 3 = 9 minutes). The patient's blood pressure is usually recorded during the second minute of each Stage. However, it may be recorded more frequently if the readings are too high or too low. As noted earlier, the EKG is constantly displayed on the monitor. It is also recorded on paper at one minute intervals. The physician pays particular attention to the heart rate, blood pressure, changes in the EKG pattern, irregular heart rhythm, and the patient's appearance and symptoms. The treadmill is stopped when the patient achieves a target heart rate (this is 85% of the maximal heart rate predicted for the patient's age).
However, if the patient is doing extremely well at peak exercise, the treadmill test may be continued further. The test may be stopped prior to achievement of the target heart rate if the patient develops significant chest discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, unsteady gait, etc., or if the EKG shows alarming changes or serious irregular heart beats. It may also be stopped if the blood pressure (BP) rises or falls beyond acceptable limits. Please note that the systolic BP (upper number) may normally rise to 200 at peak exercise. At the same time, the diastolic BP (lower number) remains unchanged or falls to a slight degree. In contrast, the BP of patients with hypertension or high BP will show a rise of both systolic and diastolic readings. The latter may rise above 90 - 100.
How safe is a Regular Treadmill Stress Test? The risk of the stress portion of the test is very small and similar to what you would expect from any strenuous form of exercise (jogging in your neighborhood, running up a flight of stairs, etc.). As noted earlier, experienced medical staff is in attendance to manage the rare complications like sustained irregular heart beats, unrelieved chest pain or even a heart attack. What is the reliability of a Regular Stress Test? If a patient is able to achieve the target heart rate, a regular treadmill stress test is capable of diagnosing important disease in approximately 67% or 2/3 rd of patients with coronary artery disease. The accuracy is lower (about 50%) when patients have narrowing in a single coronary artery or higher (greater than 80%) when all three major arteries are involved. Approximately 10% of patients may have a "false-positive" test (when the result is falsely abnormal in a patient without coronary artery disease). How quickly will I get the results and what will it mean? The physician conducting the test will be able to give you the preliminary results before you leave the exercise laboratory. However, the official result may take a few days to complete. The results of the test may help confirm or rule out a diagnosis of heart disease. In patients with known coronary artery disease (prior heart attack, known coronary blockages, previous treatment with angioplasty, stents or bypass surgery, etc.), the study will help confirm that the patient is in a stable state, or that a new blockage is developing. The results may influence your physician's decision to change your treatment or recommend additional testing such as cardiac catheterization, Echo Stress test, or a nuclear stress test.
What is a thallium stress test?
This is a type of nuclear scanning test or myocardial perfusion (mi"o-KAR'de-al per-FU'zhun) imaging test. It shows how well blood flows to the heart muscle. It's usually done along with an exercise stress test on a treadmill or bicycle.
The thallium stress test is useful to determine:
- Extent of a coronary artery blockage
- Prognosis of patients who've suffered a heart attack
- Effectiveness of cardiac procedures done to improve circulation in coronary arteries
- Cause(s) of chest pain
- Level of exercise that a patient can safely perform
When the patient reaches his or her maximum level of exercise, a small amount of a radioactive substance called thallium is injected into the bloodstream. Then the patient lies down on a special table under a camera ("gamma camera") that can see the thallium and make pictures. The thallium mixes with the blood in the bloodstream and heart's arteries and enters heart muscle cells. If a part of the heart muscle doesn't receive a normal blood supply, less than a normal amount of thallium will be in those heart muscle cells.
The first pictures are made shortly after the exercise test and show blood flow to the heart during exercise. The heart is "stressed" during the exercise test -- thus the name "stress test." The patient then lies quietly for 2-3 hours and another series of pictures is made. These show blood flow to the heart muscle during rest.
What does the thallium stress test show?
- If the test is normal during both exercise and rest, then blood flow through the coronary arteries is normal. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle.
- If the test shows that maybe perfusion (blood flow) is normal during rest but not during exercise (a perfusion defect), then the heart isn't getting enough blood when it must work harder than normal. This may be due to a blockage in one or more coronary arteries.
- If the test is abnormal during both exercise and rest, there's limited blood flow to that part of the heart at all times.
- If no thallium is seen in some part of the heart muscle, the cells in this part of the heart are dead from a prior heart attack. (They have become scar tissue.)
What if I can't perform an exercise test?
Sometimes you can't do an exercise test because you're too sick or have physical problems. In this case, a drug such as dipyridamole (di-pi-RID'ah-mol) or adenosine is given. This drug increases blood flow to the heart and thus "mimics" an exercise test. Then the thallium test is given.
Most people can raise their HDL (good cholesterol) levels by exercising, not smoking and staying at a healthy weight.
As more and more people spend greater amounts of time at their computers, they run the risk of contracting a Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).
RSIs are caused by repeating the same task over and over again, such as constantly clicking your mouse or striking your keys too hard. These tasks can cause wear and tear on your body's soft tissues (tendons, nerves, etc). If care isn't taken to rest these parts, permanent damage can result.
Some of the more common RSIs are:
- Tenosynovitis – inflammation of the tendon sheath
- Tendonitis – inflammation of a tendon
- Epicondylitis – an inflamed tendon that attaches itself to the bones at the elbow
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – the compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome – compression of the ulnar nerve where it passes the elbow near the "funny bone."
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome – affectation of the nerves and blood vessels of the neck and shoulder
Typical warning signs of these injuries include:
- Tightness or soreness
- Throbbing or sharp pain
- Numbness / tingling / burning sensation
- Loss of strength in the hands, arms, shoulders or neck
Some of these symptoms may not reveal themselves while you're at work. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, for instance, sometimes manifests as hand numbness or tingling while you are trying to sleep. Usually, however, your first symptom of an RSI will be localized fatigue (aches, pains, loss of strength or trembling) in the affected limb. These sensations will increase if you continue the damaging activity, but usually decrease after stopping the task. If you begin to experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. A day or two could make a significant difference.
Factors known to contribute to RSIs:
- Monotonous or Repetitive Tasks – performing the same action with the same body part
- Posture – placing a joint toward its extreme end of movement in any direction away from its neutral or centered position
- Force – performing a task with excessive muscular exertion
- Static Exertion – holding an object or part of the body in the same position for an extended period of time
- Contact Stress – direct pressure on nerves or tendons from resting a body part on a hard or angled surface
- Exhaustion – infrequent or inflexible breaks while performing repetitive tasks
Here are some things you can do to prevent RSIs:
- Keep frequently-used items within arm's reach so that you needn't stretch uncomfortably to get them
- Adjust your chair so that your feet lie flat and your thighs are parallel to the floor
- Be sure to have proper support for your hands and forearms when you use your keyboard (either on a tabletop, wrist rest or the arms of your chair)
- Avoid bending your wrists for any lengthy period of time
- Adjust your typing style and keyboard position to avoid striking the keys too hard
- Get up from your desk at regular intervals and move around for a few minutes
- Knowing the risk factors and symptoms of RSIs can go a long way toward preventing them. For more information on this topic, consult your physician.
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