The stress echo test is performed to check your heart’s function when working hard. The test is perform to diagnose cardiovascular disease and abnormalities such as valve problems or defects within the walls of your heart. This stress test echocardiogram sydney can help identify conditions like coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, cardiomyopathy and other cardiac diseases. Your doctor will give you an injection during the test to enhance the images produced by this procedure. You’ll wear electrodes on your chest and arms during an echocardiogram
Echocardiography is the process of creating ultrasound images of the heart.
It can be perform to diagnose a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, including congenital abnormalities, valvular heart disease and rhythm disturbances. A stress echocardiogram involves using ultrasound imaging during physical activity. These tests are very useful in determining whether your heart is in proper function and if it’s capable of handling strenuous exercise. Stress echocardiograms are perform as an outpatient procedure, meaning you can do it on your own schedule without having to take time off from work or school.
Echocardiography is a painless test performed by your doctor.
It is complete on an outpatient basis and in many cases includes an injection to enhance the images. You will wear electrodes on your chest and arms during the test. Your doctor may recommend that you refrain from eating or drinking anything for several hours before having echocardiography, as food in your stomach interferes with the quality of photos taken during this procedure. In some cases, an ultrasound wand will be use to detect areas of fluid buildup or stenosis (narrowing) in your heart. This procedure is call as transesophageal echocardiography, and it may also reveal other causes of heart disease such as valve problems
It may help you avoid unnecessary surgery.
A holter monitor test Sydney allows your doctor to diagnose heart disease and other heart-related conditions. It might also help you avoid unnecessary surgery.
What stress echo can do for you:
- Diagnose heart disease, including coronary artery disease and cardiac amyloidosis. These are diseases that affect the arteries leading to or around your heart. Coronary artery disease can cause chest pain (angina) or potentially life-threatening problems (heart attack). Cardiac amyloidosis causes progressive scarring of the ventricles within the heart and can lead to enlarged chambers, fluid accumulation, arrhythmias and other problems.
- Diagnose valvular insufficiency (regurgitation) in the mitral valve; detect blood clot in left atrium; assess extent of cardiac hypertrophy; evaluate severity of pulmonary hypertension; assess function after myocardial infarction/reperfusion injury
It can be complete on an outpatient basis.
The test is perform by a specially trained physician in an outpatient hospital setting. A local anesthetic is use so that you will not feel any discomfort. After the procedure, you may go home after a short recovery period. You can drive yourself home at the end of the test and resume your normal activities immediately following a stress echocardiogram.
Your doctor will give you an injection during the test to enhance the images.
The injection used to enhance the images is usually a saline solution. The injection is inject on the arm, not intravenously. It’s not painful and it does not have any side effects. Injection is inject near where you’ll be lying on your back during the test—usually on top of your right shoulder or below your left breast—but never inside your chest cavity or heart.
You’ll wear electrodes on your chest and arms during an echocardiogram.
Electrodes are place on your chest and arms. These electrodes help to record the electrical activity of your heart, which will show up as lines or waves on a monitor. The electrocardiograph is connect to these electrodes. The electrodes also help to record the movement of your heart by picking up sound waves produced by the beating muscle. This information helps your doctor determine if there are any problems with blood flow in one part of your heart or other body structures that affect it, such as an artery or vein.
An echocardiogram can help diagnose certain types of heart disease or heart failure.
Echocardiogram uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart and its blood vessels. It’s painless, noninvasive and very safe. The test is complete in a clinic or hospital, but there is no need to stay overnight.
An echocardiogram may be perform to:
- Find out if you have heart valve disease
- Measure how well your valves are working
- Check for problems with the structure of your heart muscle that may not cause symptoms yet (such as enlarged chambers)
You should tell your doctor if you’re pregnant before having a stress echo test.
The test is safe for pregnant women, but it’s not recommended for women who are breastfeeding and those with certain types of heart disease. It’s also not recommended for women who have a history of recent heart valve disease or heart failure. If you have any of these conditions, tell your doctor about them before having a stress echo test. Your doctor will be able to tell if there are any risks associated with the test.
The test generally takes about half an hour to complete.
If you have a heart condition or other medical issue, the test may take longer. For example:
- Heart disease can cause an abnormal tracing on the echocardiogram, which means it will take longer for your doctor to analyze and interpret the results of the heart stress test.
- Heart failure can also cause a prolonged test because of its severity and effect on your body’s ability to function normally during exercise.
In general, if you’re in good health with no signs or symptoms of heart disease, then you should not have any issues related to completing this type of test quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
Heart disease is a common problem that affects millions of people in Australia. It can be very serious and sometimes even fatal if not treated immediately. However, if you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease and have symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, then it’s important to see a doctor immediately. The good news is that heart specialist Sydney can do an echo stress test to show how well your heart works during exercise or stressful situations like running stairs or lifting weights at the gym. They use this information to help determine what kind of treatment would be best suited for each patient based on their needs and wants.