NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog: Facts About Stress Testing
Facts About Stress Testing
Written for patients and caregivers, this easy to read fact sheet provides a comprehensive overview of this often used test of cardiovascular health. Stress testing provides your doctor with information about how your heart works during physical stress. Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working hard and beating fast. During a stress test, you exercise (walk or run on a treadmill or pedal a bicycle) or are given a medicine to make your heart work harder while heart tests are performed. During these tests, your heart is monitored using images or through dime-sized electrodes attached to your chest, arms, or legs. Provides complete information on what to expect before, during and after this test. Contains links to other online resources.