Ett test
Changes in the ECG are key signs that part of the heart muscle isn't getting as much oxygenated blood as it needs.
During an ETT, a patient exercises on either a treadmill or a stationary bike (cycle ergometer), and the intensity of the exercise is gradually increased until the patient. Sometimes the clinician stops the test because of worrisome changes on the ECG or in blood pressure. Getting ready for an exercise stress test is much like getting ready for a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood. People who are out of shape or who aren't used to exercising typically stop early because they become too tired or out of breath.
You finish with a few minutes of slow walking to cool down, and then stand or sit quietly for another 15 minutes or so as your heart returns to its resting state. In the most widely used test, called the Bruce protocol, there are seven stages, each one lasting for three minutes. The tools used to see how your heart performs during exercise include an electrocardiograph ECG , a blood pressure cuff, and a treadmill see "Stress test setup".
The machines record what is happening in your heart and arteries, first as you sit quietly, and then as you stand quietly. There's a medicine for that. Bicycles can be used for people who have trouble walking; arm-powered exercise machines are available for those who can't use their legs. The procedure for taking an exercise stress test is relatively straightforward. The doctor, nurse, or technician running the test sticks a number of adhesive pads to your chest, then attaches a plastic-coated wire to each pad.
ETT is a test to evaluate the blood supply to the heart during exercise. Stress tests are also used to reveal hidden rhythm problems, assess some valves, gauge the safety of an exercise program, and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Don't eat, smoke, or drink beverages containing caffeine or alcohol for three hours before the test. If the test is stopped before you reach your target heart rate, the results may not tell you or your doctor much.
That's the principle behind one of the most commonly used tests in cardiology, the exercise stress test also known as the exercise tolerance test, treadmill test, or just the stress test.
What Is an Exercise Tolerance Test?
Hardly anyone makes it through all seven stages. But make the heart work harder, and the clogged vessel may not be able to handle the extra rush of blood needed by the hard-working muscle. An exercise tolerance test (ETT) is helpful in evaluating a patient's heart function during exertion, and detecting the presence of coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. Packing your hurricane go bag? Your doctor may ask you to stop certain medications that can interfere with the heart's response to exercise, like a beta blocker or digoxin, a day or more before the test.
Harvard Health Ad Watch: Got side effects? Some stop because of chest pain or leg pain. One way to judge the health of the heart and the arteries that supply it with oxygen and nutrients is to make them work harder. An exercise stress test can document low blood flow ischemia in the coronary arteries. A modified version of the test is used for people who are frail or out of shape. The wires feed into the ECG, which records the electrical activity in your heart and how fast it is beating.
Different bits of data collected during an exercise stress test can point to problems inside the heart. The most common one is to detect a narrowing or blockage in one or more coronary arteries. It should be part of the work-up for anyone having angina or who might be a candidate for artery-opening angioplasty. Exercise stress tests are done for a variety of reasons. Every few minutes, the speed and steepness of the treadmill increase, making you work harder.
This mismatch in demand and supply can cause angina — pressure or pain in the chest, jaw, left arm, or elsewhere that comes on with exercise or other stress and disappears with rest. As you walk on a treadmill at progressively faster speeds, an electro-cardiograph measures your heart rate and the electrical activity in your heart, and your blood pressure is recorded periodically. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and shoes suitable for walking or running.
A blood pressure cuff is wrapped around your arm. Make provisions for your health. Throughout all this, your heart rate and electrical activity are constantly monitored, your blood pressure is checked every few minutes, and the clinician keeps tabs on how you look and how you feel. This network of blood vessels supplies the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.
Exercise Tolerance Testing
When the heart is at rest, even an artery that is almost completely blocked may have enough blood flow to meet the needs of the section of heart muscle it supplies. You may be asked to check your blood sugar before the test, and then again soon afterward and once or twice when you get home. When the baseline recordings are complete, you start walking on the treadmill at a slow pace under 2 miles an hour. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor when and what you should eat before the test, to make sure your blood sugar stays in the right zone.
It is done at Starr Pavillon in New York City and requires preparation and monitoring before and during the test. It's much the same thing a mechanic does when he or she races a car's engine. If you get to the last stage, you'll be walking at 5.