Treadmill stress test – stimulating the heart to search forheart problems and severity of complicat

Treadmill stress test is performed to search for abnormal heartbeat, decrease supply of oxygen/blood to heart, indicatecoronary artery disease, detect irregular heart rhythms andoverall cardiovascular conditioning of the person undergoing atreadmill stress test.Treadmill stress test is useful to screen people who desire tostart an exercise program and help to make plans accordingly.During a treadmill stress test, electrical activity duringexercise or during physical exertion on a treadmill is recorded.Treadmill stress test mainly monitors the heart rate and heartrhythm while the patient is walking on a treadmill. A treadmillstress test also is known as an exercise electrocardiogram.Treadmill stress test is performed on doctorrequest/prescription. A treadmill stress test is very safe,reliable, non-invasive and not too expensive to do.In a treadmill stress test the patient is connected to anelectrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) machine and a blood pressure cuff isplaced on the arm. Electrodes will be placed on the patientduring the treadmill stress test at different locations on thearms and chest. A sensor may be attached to the finger of thepatient to measure the level of oxygen in the blood during thetreadmill stress test. EKG and blood pressure records will betaken before and during the treadmill stress test. Initiallyduring the treadmill stress test the patient is made to walk onthe treadmill at a slow speed. The pace of the treadmillincreases and the incline is raised during the course of thetreadmill stress test. The test lasts about 10-15 or sometimes60 minutes depending upon the level of recovery andcardiovascular conditioning of the person during the treadmillstress test.The speed and incline of the treadmill during the treadmillstress test is increased gradually or in intervals .ACardiologist and a technician are present during the treadmillstress test. Blood pressure rates and breathing rates arerecorded and measured during the test.During the treadmill stress test the electrodes detect theelectrical impulses generated by the heart, and transmit them tothe ECG/EKG machine. The ECG/EKG machine produces a graph (ECGtracing) of those cardiac electrical impulses. The doctormonitors changes in ECG/EKG patterns during the treadmill stresstest. Symptoms experienced by the patient during the treadmillstress test will be looked at and recorded by the doctor. If thepatient feels tired, has chest pains or is exhausted then thetreadmill stress test is stopped.Treadmill stress tests help to determine if the blood and oxygenflow to the heart is sufficient when it is under an increasedworkload. Treadmill stress test also indicates coronary arterydisease or abnormal heart rhythms during workload or exertion.Cardiac condition relating to irregular heart rhythms can beevaluated during treadmill stress test. Treadmill stress testhelps doctor to detect how hard the heart can work beforesymptoms develop, the recovery pace of the heart after exertion,and the overall level of cardiovascular conditioning. Doctorscan detect the severity of coronary artery disease during thetreadmill stress test. Whether or not drugs which are prescribedto treat patients are working can be also detected during thetreadmill stress test.During the treadmill stress test the purpose of increasing tohigher levels of exertion in stages is because problems occur asthe person performs certain activities. During the treadmillstress test as the person starts increasing the level ofexertion, the heart requires more blood and energy and if theheart doesn’t get it then there is chest pain, breathingproblems or dizziness. If these symptoms appear during thetreadmill stress test, then the problem is recognized andtreatment is started.Risk involved in the treadmill stress test is very small.Treadmill stress test is similar to jogging, running a flight ofstairs, etc. However, treadmill stress test is required to beperformed in attendance of technician and medical staff tomanage complications like sustained irregular heart beats,unrelieved chest pain, heart attack, etc. Treadmill stress testis an effective way to detect and evaluate problems relating tothe heart and to follow and plan treatment depending upon theseverity of symptoms detected during the treadmill stress test.