How a cardiac stress test is done
You will be asked to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. You may also be asked to avoid any caffeinated drinks for a day or so before your test. Drinking caffeine affects your heart rate and may produce an inaccurate reading. If you are having a treadmill test, you will have electrodes (small patches) attached to areas of your body. The person administering the test may shave those areas before attaching the electrodes. You will be asked to walk on the treadmill and then to walk at an accelerated pace. The ECG machine will monitor your heart to see how it responds to the “stress” of increased physical exertion.
If you are having a pharmacological stress test (medication-induced stress) you’ll receive the medication and you’ll be monitored in the same way, to see how your heart rate and blood pressure are affected by the stress.
The test usually takes about 60 minutes. Afterwards you may resume normal activities. If you had a radioactive tracer injected for an imaging cardiac stress test, you’ll need to drink plenty of fluids to flush the tracer out of your body.
Your doctor will review the results of the cardiac stress test with you and make any additional testing or treatment recommendations.