An exercise ECG is a more precise test than an "ordinary" ECG. The stress test is recommended for chest pains and during cardiac rehabilitation (e.g. after a heart attack or bypass surgery).
Exercise ECG( exercise test ) determines the efficiency of the heart muscle, the degree of the advancement of coronary artery disease, it also enables early detection of cardiac arrhythmias and hypoxia , which indicates constrictions in the coronary vessels.
Exercise ECG: preparation for the test
The exercise ECG does not require special preparation, you cannot just eat a heavy meal or smoke cigarettes.
Wear comfortable footwear with a soft sole, as the test involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling on a stationary bicycle, the so-called bicycle cyclometer.
The test takes several minutes.
exercise ECG: test run
You have electrodes attached to your arms, legs and chest. At the same time, the camera on your hand measures your blood pressure.
Before making an exercise ECG, you must show the doctor the results of the current (resting) ECG, possibly heart ultrasound (so-called "heart echo"), Holter ECG, and the exercise ECG, if it was done.
exercise ECG: contraindications
Contraindications for the stress test:
- problems with walking (e.g. obese people, with advanced atherosclerosis of the lower limbs)
- heart defects
- myocarditis
- serious arrhythmias
- night choking chest pains
- aortic aneurysm
- recent heart attack
Read also:
- Heart disease: basic diagnosis. What cardiological examinations are performed in heart disease?
- Radioisotope techniques help detect heart disease earlier