Stress Echocardiogram

Stress Echocardiogram:

Stress Echocardiography uses exercise or medication to make the heart work harder than when at rest. This helps us obtain more detailed pictures of the heart and how well or poorly it is functioning. Echocardiography assesses the overall function of the heart, determines the presence of heart diseases, follows the progress of valve disease and evaluates the effectiveness of medical or surgical treatment.

In A Stress Echocardiogram:

Ultrasound images of your heart are taken prior to and instantly after a treadmill walk or riding a stationary bike.
If you are unable to exercise, you might get an injection of medication to make your heart pump.

Preparing For An Exercise Stress Echo:

Your care provider shall give you detailed instructions on preparing for your test. More preparations are required for an exercise stress echo than other types of echo tests. These include:
Do not eat or drink anything except sips of water for a minimum of four hours prior to your test.
Avoid smoking on the day of your test.
Avoid caffeine for 24 hours prior to the test. This includes any form of caffeine (A few over-the-counter pain medicines, (coffee, tea, and decaf drinks).
Ask your care provider when and how to take your regular medications. For example, avoid taking certain heart medicines on the day of your test or also need to change the regular dose of diabetes medication.
You will not be sedated, but you may still have assistance to drive you to and from the appointment. This is because you might feel post-test.
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes comfortable to walk or ride a stationary bike during the test, so wear what feels good.

To Avoid When:

No specific conditions when the test must be avoided. Inform the doctor if you are pregnant or taking any medications.

How To Prepare:

No special preparations are required for a standard transthoracic echocardiogram. You may eat, drink and take medications as you regularly would.
If you have other types of ECHO ordered , kindly read the instruction mentioned above.