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What is the Stress Echo Test?
The Stress Echo Test is also known as a stress echocardiogram. It is a non-invasive diagnostic test that allows your doctor to understand how well your heart works under stress. Your heart can come under stress due to excessive exercise or even due to medication like dobutamine.Â
Along with the stress echo test, you may also need a dobutamine stress echocardiogram (DSE) if you find yourself extremely fatigued after just a little bit of physical exercise. This test uses only a transducer (a hand-held device) to check the rhythm of your heart and is therefore free of side effects.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Stress Echo Test used for?
A stress echo test uses a transducer, which is a hand-held device, to transmit ultrasound waves into your heart. It is, therefore, essentially an ultrasound imaging technique that identifies the overall health of your heart. It is specifically used to understand how well your cardiac muscles are pumping blood to your body.
How to understand the test results of the Stress Echo Test?
For a layman, it is quite difficult to understand the results of a stress echo test. You will have to consult your doctor who will help you understand these test results. If your doctor says that the results are normal, it means your heart is healthy and successfully pumping blood to your body. However, if it is abnormal, then it could warrant further investigation.Â
Why do I need a Stress Echo Test?
Based on recent statistics, nearly 3 million Indians die of heart problems every year. If you have a family history of heart ailments, then you should definitely get a stress echo test done at the earliest. Even if you experience some chest pain that is unrelated to gastrointestinal issues, then you may need to undergo this test.
What happens during the Stress Echo Test?
During this test, you will be asked to exercise either on a treadmill or a stationary exercise bicycle at the diagnostic centre or your doctor’s clinic. During this process, your doctor (or cardiologist) will monitor your heart rhythm (pulse rate) and blood pressure. The test is absolutely painless and non-invasive and does not take too long to complete.
Does stress echo show blockage?
Yes, a stress echo test is extremely helpful when it comes to identifying blockages in your arteries. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to your heart. If these are blocked, they will show up in a stress echo test. Hence, this test is also widely used to detect coronary heart disease.
How long does stress echo take?
Since this test is based on physical exercise, it takes a moderate amount of time for the test itself, but the results can be obtained relatively fast. The actual test during which you will have to exercise either on a treadmill or an exercise bicycle takes only about 7 to 12 minutes. You can get the test results within an hour.
What does an echo show that a stress test doesn't?
A conventional echo test or echocardiogram simply examines your heart when your body is in a state of rest or relaxation. However, a stress echo test does the same thing when your body is in a state of stress (through physical exercise). Hence, the latter can give you more detailed results.
Why did my doctor order a stress echocardiogram?
If you report severe chest pain to your doctor, he/she will most likely order a stress echo test or a stress echocardiogram. This is because such a test can help your doctor identify the root cause of chest pain. Chest pain can be due to coronary heart disease and with a stress echo test, your doctor can diagnose it accurately.Â
How accurate is an echo stress test?
According to recent research, a stress echo test is about 80 to 90% accurate in most cases. It offers a higher degree of accuracy as compared to other tests like the Exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) and the Stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy test. Hence you can rely on the test results of an echo stress test.
Can I drive home after a stress test?
During the stress echo test, you may be given a certain amount of sedatives. Hence, it is not advisable to drive home by yourself after taking this test. It is best to bring along a member of your family who can drive (and has a driver’s licence). Or you could avail public transportation. For further details, you should consider booking an appointment or even avail of a free second opinion.Â
 Book an appointment or Get a free second opinion from our experts at Yashoda Hospitals today.
References:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/dobutamine-stress-echocardiogram
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007150.htm#:~:text=Stress%20echocardiography%20is%20a%20test,narrowing%20in%20the%20coronary%20arteries.
https://www.healthline.com/health/stress-echocardiography#results
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/world-heart-day-2021-risk-factors-symptoms-treatment-young-adults-7537442/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCardiovascular%20diseases%20affect%20Indians%20a,%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Dr%20Harinder%20K.
https://www.neighborhoodrad.com/2018/07/27/should-i-get-a-stress-echocardiogram/
https://openheart.net/stress-echocardiogram/#:~:text=The%20stress%20echo%20is%20especially,blood%20to%20the%20heart%20muscle).
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/16983-exercise-stress-echocardiogram#:~:text=How%20long%20does%20the%20test,between%20seven%20and%2012%20minutes.
https://www.vacardio.com/echocardiogram-vs-stress-echo-discerning-the-differences/#:~:text=Stress%20Echocardiogram%20Explained,or%20%E2%80%9Cstress%E2%80%9D%20of%20exercise.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1767520/#:~:text=The%20accuracy%20of%20stress%20echocardiography,of%20stress%20myocardial%20perfusion%20scintigraphy.
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