Who Needs a Stress Test?
Stress tests are a noninvasive way to detect coronary artery disease (CAD), heart damage, and risk of developing future heart problems.
The list below includes the common reasons doctors order stress tests.
- Help explain symptoms which may be due to blockages in your coronary arteries.
Symptoms of heart disease should be discussed with your doctor. If your risk of developing a heart attack or other cardiac problem is increased a stress test should be considered. The test results can help reassure you that your heart is not the cause of your symptoms, focusing on non-cardiac causes.
- Detect CAD.
It is important to detect CAD. A noted above, any concerning symptoms should be discussed with your doctor. In some people, such as those with diabetes, symptoms may be atypical. A stress test can identify coronary blockages help determine the appropriate treatment.
- Determine your level of risk after a heart attack or episode of angina.
Decisions such as when to discharge you from the hospital and whether to treat you with medications or perform angiography and balloon and stenting are often made with the information from a stress test.
Your prognosis can also help you and your doctor make important decision about treatment of both cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. With aggressive treatment your prognosis can improve, and conversely, if risk factors are not addressed, can worsen.
- Determine if you need a coronary angiography and possible balloon and stent procedure.
- Determine your level of risk before surgery.
If you are planning non-cardiac surgery, a stress test can help you and your doctors make important decision. The decision to proceed with any surgery depends on a risk to benefit ratio. If your risk is high, canceling or postponing a non-emergent or urgent procedure might make sense. Appropriate treatment can decrease your risk allowing you to safely proceed with the surgery.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of medications, balloon and stent procedures, or coronary bypass surgery.
You and your doctor may decide to evaluate the effectiveness of the above treatments. This may be important prior to starting or changing an exercise program or having further procedures.
sources:
American College of Cardiology Appropriateness Criteria for a Nuclear Stress test.
ACC/AHA 2002 Guideline Update for Stress Testing
ACC/AHA/ASNC 2003 Guidelines for the Clinical Use of Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging