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Feb 3, 2020 · Reasons for the test: Assess the structure of the heart. Determine if blockages are present in the coronary arteries. 6. Exercise cardiac stress test: Also called an exercise tolerance test (ETT), this test shows whether your heart's blood supply is sufficient and if your heart rhythm is normal during exercise on a treadmill or stationary ...
- Overview
- Why might someone need a heart test?
- Blood tests
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Echocardiogram
- Nuclear stress test
- Coronary angiogram
- Chest X-ray
- MRI
- Cardiac event monitor
Doctors use heart tests to diagnose or monitor different heart conditions. They include blood tests, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, and coronary angiograms.
Doctors use these tests to diagnose and monitor heart diseases. Some tests reveal issues that might lead to heart diseases in the future.
Doctors will help decide which tests are suitable for a person according to their symptoms, risk factors, and medical history.
This article will look at some of the most common types of heart tests. It will explain how they work and what they look for.
Doctors recommend heart tests for different reasons. A person may have symptoms of a heart condition, such as:
•pain or discomfort in the chest, upper back, or neck
•indigestion, nausea, or vomiting
•extreme tiredness
•dizziness
•shortness of breath
There are several blood tests for heart diseases. They include:
•Cardiac troponin test: Doctors use a cardiac troponin test to help diagnose a heart attack. Troponin is a protein in the heart. If damage occurs to the heart, it sends troponin into the bloodstream.
•Lipid profile: Doctors use this test to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. A high amount of low-density lipoproteins, or “bad” cholesterol, can lead to heart diseases.
•Thyroid function tests: Doctors use thyroid function tests to check how the thyroid gland is working. This gland produces a hormone called thyroxine into the blood. If levels of the hormone are too high or too low, it can cause a slow or fast heartbeat and may lead to palpitations.
•Complete blood count: Doctors use this test to look at the concentrations of different types of blood cells someone has in their blood. Low blood counts can cause similar symptoms to a heart condition.
•B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP): This test measures levels of a protein called BNP in the blood. If the heart has to work harder to pump blood, it creates more BNP, so higher levels may indicate heart failure.
Doctors often call an electrocardiogram an ECG or an EKG. The test measures the heart’s electrical activity through pads on the chest. The procedure is painless.
Doctors use an EKG to determine whether a person’s heart is beating at an expected rate and rhythm. This test can provide clues about a person’s heart size and health and helps doctors diagnose:
•arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat
•blocked arteries
•heart damage
•heart failure
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. Doctors use it to understand the structure of the person’s heart and to see how well it functions.
During an echocardiogram, doctors look at:
•the size and movement of the heart’s walls
•how the heart moves
•how strongly the heart pumps
•the heart valves
Doctors also call a nuclear stress test a myocardial perfusion imaging test. It uses very small amounts of radioactive materials to capture images of the heart. This shows doctors how well blood flows through this organ.
Healthcare professionals will use a nuclear stress test to:
•look for narrowing and blockages in the arteries that may be causing discomfort
•look for signs of damage after a heart attack
•determine whether a person should have a coronary stent or bypass surgery
•see whether stent or bypass surgery is working
Doctors sometimes call a coronary angiogram a cardiac catheterization. The test, a type of X-ray, uses a special dye to show doctors how blood flows in the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that take blood to the heart.
Doctors use the test to look for a narrowing in the arteries and to diagnose CAD.
Doctors will sometimes suggest a chest X-ray to determine if the heart or the lungs are causing symptoms such as shortness of breath.
Sometimes, doctors may also recommend a chest X-ray for people preparing for heart surgery.
Cardiac MRIs use magnetic fields, radio waves, and a computer to take detailed pictures of the heart.
Doctors use these tests to diagnose and monitor heart diseases. They may also recommend this test to look for heart defects.
Cardiac event monitors are devices that record a person’s heartbeat over longer periods or specifically when they are having a symptom or “event.”
Doctors recommend cardiac event monitors to help diagnose heart rhythm problems that only occur infrequently.
- Amanda Barrell
Feb 22, 2024 · A cardiac stress test shows how your heart works during physical activity. Also known as an exercise stress test, it can detect problems with blood flow when the heart is pumping faster and harder than usual. The test can be done while walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.
Jan 20, 2022 · There is no pain whatsoever.”. The reason cardiac stress tests are performed is to see if the heart can keep up when put under stress. If not, usually the main reason is the patient cannot get enough blood flow and oxygen to the heart itself. This may suggest blockages in the arteries that feed the heart blood and oxygen.
- EKG (electrocardiogram) Time it takes: 5 minutes. How it works: a few stickers are placed on your chest and attached with wires to a device that measures the electrical activity of the heart and prints out the EKG.
- Echocardiogram (echo or cardiac ultrasound) Time it takes: 45-60 minutes. How it works: a sonographer places gel on your chest and presses gently with a probe to take ultrasound images/movies of your beating heart and blood flow.
- Exercise stress test. Time it takes: 30-60 minutes. How it works: a continuous EKG is taken while you are exercising on a treadmill at various speeds and inclines to determine if there is adequate blood flow to your heart.
- Chemical stress test (at least 2 types: dobutamine stress echo or nuclear stress test) Time it takes: 1-3 hours. How it works: if a patient is unable to walk adequately on a treadmill, an IV is placed and medication (dobutamine, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, or regadenoson, which dilates the blood vessels) is administered to simulate the stress of exercise; images are taken of the heart with ultrasound or a nuclear camera to estimate blood flow to the heart.
Exercise can help lower levels. High-density lipoprotein (HDL): This test identifies your “good cholesterol.”. High levels reduce your risk of heart and blood vessel disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): LDL is “bad cholesterol.”. High levels are linked to a greater risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
People also ask
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Dec 9, 2023 · Cholesterol test. A cholesterol test, also called a lipid panel or lipid profile, measures the fats in the blood. The results can show the risk of having a heart attack or other heart disease. The test most often measures: Total cholesterol. This is the amount of the blood's cholesterol content.
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