The first day will usually be the stress portion (plan on two hours). The second day is the resting portion and no restrictions for caffeine or beta blockers are required (plan on at least one hour).
Results of a nuclear stress test may take a few days. A healthcare provider such as a cardiologist or radiologist must review the images and interpret the results. A nuclear cardiac stress test helps diagnose and monitor heart problems such as coronary artery disease.
How Long Does a Nuclear Stress Test Take? Typically, your appointment will take about 2-4 hours. Some of this time is spent in preparation for the test, and in waiting for the tracer in the bloodstream to be taken up by the heart.
several periods of waiting before imaging. A two-day Nuclear Cardiac Stress Imaging Test will take about 1 & 1/2 hours each day. Your appointment will start in the Cardiology Department.
During the Procedure
Testing begins by placing an IV in your arm and injecting the radioactive tracer. You will then sit in the waiting area for about 20 and 45 minutes to allow the tracer to be absorbed by the heart muscle.
“Most people think a stress test identifies blockages to the heart, but it does not,” explains Aristotelis Vlahos, M.D., director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Riverview Medical Center. “It looks at blood flow to the heart muscle and determines if blood flow is adequate or not.
Low risk (score > 5) indicates a 5-year survival of 97%. Intermediate risk (score between 4 and -11) indicates 5-year survival of 90%. High risk (score < -11) indicates 5-year survival of 65%. In high-risk patients, 74% had 3-vessel or left main occlusive coronary disease on angiography.
The Nuclear Medicine Stress Test takes approximately four hours to complete. You are encouraged to bring a book, or some other means to pass the time quietly. You will be able to drive yourself home after the test is completed. Wear loose comfortable clothing with walking or tennis shoes.
But what happens after you fail a stress test? Oftentimes, the next step for people who fail a stress test, and who have risk factors for or symptoms of cardiovascular disease, is an imaging test called a coronary angiography. Your doctor may call it a cardiac catheterization, or “cath” for short.
The first day will usually be the stress portion (plan on two hours). The second day is the resting portion and no restrictions for caffeine or beta blockers are required (plan on at least one hour). An intravenous line will be placed in your arm. A small amount of radioactive tracer will be injected.
Your target heart rate during a stress test depends on your age. For adults, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 minus your age. So, if you're 40 years old, the maximum predicted heart rate is 220 – 40 = 180.
A nuclear stress test can diagnose coronary artery disease and show how severe the condition is. Create a treatment plan. If you have coronary artery disease, a nuclear stress test can tell your health care provider how well treatment is working. The test also shows how much exercise your heart can handle.
The angiogram and cardiac catheterization are the most definitive tests, better than a nuclear stress test, but both use significant radiation, and the cardiac catheterization uses a large catheter in the artery, which can cause complications.
They're Not Stressful
Stress in fact means putting additional expectations on the heart – this could be by simply walking on a treadmill, not running a marathon.
Medicare Coverage for Nuclear Stress Tests
Medicare Part B coverage will help cover these tests if it is deemed medically necessary under certain circumstances. If your physician orders the nuclear stress test in order to diagnose or rule out illness, Medicare will pay for the screening.
Friends/family are welcome to accompany you to the office but are not allowed in the testing area due to our privacy policy. In the testing room, a nurse or technician will start an intravenous line, or IV, in your arm and will administer a small amount of radioactive tracer.
Yes, you can be around pregnant women and children after most nuclear medicine scans. Almost all of the radiation will be gone from your body by the morning after your scan. We recommend you avoid spending extended hours in close proximity with pregnant women and small children, such as sleeping overnight next to them.
THE DAY OF THE TEST
Nothing to eat or drink 6 hours before the test. You MAY drink water in any amount.
"It's actually very logical," Hedman said. "When we exercise, the heart needs to pump more blood in each beat and in every minute, which causes systolic blood pressure to increase. The men who were measured with high blood pressure while exercising were in general achieving a higher workload -- they were more fit."
A stress test usually takes about an hour, including the prep time and the time it takes to do the actual test. The exercise part takes only around 15 minutes. It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle.
As these risks take shape, tools such as stress testing with ECG and imaging may prove to be more important than ever—not only to diagnose and classify the extent of heart failure, but also to identify contraindications to interventions such as cardiac rehabilitation.
A stress test can help show: Signs or symptoms of heart valve disease. How severe the heart valve disease is.
You are also given medicine (local anesthetic) to numb your throat. This helps you feel more comfortable during the procedure. An exercise stress test measures how your heart deals with the stress of physical activity. You are connected by wires to an ECG monitor.