Stress echo

A stress echocardiogram is a test used to gain functional information about your heart. It measures the performance capacity of the heart, lung, and blood vessels, and compares how your heart muscle is pumping before and after exercise.

What happens during the test?

You will be given a loose-fitting gown to wear and asked to undress from the waist up. Electrodes will be placed onto your chest so that your ECG can be monitored throughout the test. A series of resting ultrasound images are taken. To do this, the sonographer will apply ultrasound gel to different areas of your chest and use an ultrasound probe to take pictures and recordings of the heart. You may be asked to hold your breath at times. Resting blood pressure, oxygen saturation and ECG recordings will be taken. The cardiologist will be continually monitoring these throughout the remainder of the test.

You will then be asked to exercise on the treadmill. The treadmill will be stopped by the cardiologist:

• If you cannot continue exercise
• You have reached an appropriate target
• At the cardiologist’s discretion