Your heart health is so precious. So, if your internal medicine doctor expresses concern about your health risks or cardiac symptoms you are experiencing–like shortness of breath, irregular heart rate, or pain–you may need a nuclear stress test. This in-office diagnostic test provides valuable information about your heart health so treatment planning can begin. Here, we will take a look at the details of the test and its benefits.
What is a Nuclear Stress Test?
Nuclear stress testing has become the gold standard in cardiac diagnostics. Before the test, you will receive an IV injection of radioactive dye. As the dye circulates through your bloodstream, it highlights areas of decreased blood flow to your heart muscle or myocardium.
During the test, your doctor may have you remain seated or walk on a treadmill while scanning tools follow the progress of the dye through your cardiovascular system. The test will provide your doctor with real-time information about the health of your heart and blood vessels, including if there are any blockages in your coronary arteries.
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that keep the heart muscle supplied with oxygen-rich blood. If these arteries are partially or completely blocked, a nuclear stress test will reveal the severity of the blockages.
When left untreated, blocked coronary arteries can lead to serious health problems like heart attacks, strokes, and even death. Nuclear stress tests can help detect these blockages before they lead to a serious cardiac event, allowing your doctor to begin treatment to manage symptoms and avoid life-changing damage.
Benefits of Nuclear Stress Tests
There are many benefits to these state-of-the-art cardiac assessments.
They include:
- Determining if you have cardiovascular disease and what your risks for heart attack and stroke may be
- Accurately highlighting areas of damage, blockage, or malformation in the heart, including its arteries, valves, and chambers
- Full professional monitoring during the test (g., blood pressure, and electrocardiogram)
- Capability to use either medication or exercise to increase the cardiac workload needed for accurate results
- The nuclear dye is safe and well tolerated by most patients
- Simple pre-test fasting requirements (no food for 4-6 hours prior, abstaining from caffeine for 24 hours, and smoking for 8 hours)
- Mild side effects, if any, include headache and dizziness
The test takes about 3 hours or so to complete. After the test, your doctor will advise you to rest and hydrate. You should also avoid interacting with children and or adults with weak immune systems for 24 hours due to a possible minute risk of radiation exposure.
Cardiovascular Testing Near You in Irmo, South Carolina
At SC Internal Medicine Associates and Rehabilitation, LLC, our team of dedicated internal medicine physicians is well-versed in the latest in advanced cardiovascular testing. We provide our patients with the information necessary to help them make the right treatment decisions and healthy lifestyle changes.
To learn more about our diagnostic services or to schedule a consultation, please contact us at (803) 749-1111. You can also request a visit online with our convenient online appointment request form.
