Stress echocardiogram

Be sure to tell your doctor

• All heart and blood pressure medicines. Your doctor will say if any should be skipped
• Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting
• Joint problems that make walking or pedaling hard
• Asthma. This matters if the stress will be done with medicine
• Diabetes

How to prepare

• Food. A light meal 2 to 3 hours before the test. Do not come hungry or very full.
• Medicines. Some heart medicines are sometimes paused for a short time. Do not stop them on your own. Your doctor decides.
• Coffee and smoking. On the test day, usually no coffee, strong tea, or smoking. Check with the clinic.
• Clothing. Sportswear and comfortable shoes for walking.

What to bring

• Your referral
• Past ECGs and echocardiograms
• A list of your medicines
• Sports shoes and water
• A towel

How it goes

1. ECG stickers are put on your chest and a blood pressure cuff on your arm
2. The doctor does a heart ultrasound at rest
3. You walk on a treadmill or pedal a bike, and the load slowly goes up
4. Sometimes medicine is given into a vein instead of exercise
5. Right after exercise, you lie down and the doctor quickly repeats the ultrasound
6. Then you rest until your pulse and blood pressure return to normal

What you'll feel

• You will get tired, and your pulse and breathing will speed up. This is expected
• Speak up right away if you have chest pain, strong shortness of breath, or dizziness. The test will be stopped

Afterwards

• After resting, you can go back to your usual day
• The report is usually ready the same day
• Go over the results with a cardiologist