I’m getting one next week.
Looks pretty straight forward.
I actually do the tests. I can answer any questions. It is pretty simple. Get an injection, wait, image and then stress test. Another injection and then image sometime after. Bruce protocol is usually used for the treadmill if you want to look that up and try it ahead of time. Goal should be 220-age. Minimum is 85 percent of that to be diagnostic.
yes, very straight forward. as described above
they had some trouble getting me up to the target HR (the test is not designed for athletes) so the “stress” part was longer than what they are used to. but its really very simple.
As stated above. You get an injection and have a resting “pre-stress” scan of your chest/heart. Then you are hooked up to the EKG and stressed on the treadmill. For an athlete it is basically another workout. The Bruce protocol is more of an extremely steep hiking test. It starts at 1.7 mph, 10% grade and every 3 minutes you increase the speed 0.8 mph, and 2% incline added. For an average person you are on the treadmill 6-9 mins, for a triathlete most likely 12-18 minutes. After target heart rate is achieved (85% of 220 minus age) you get another injection of the tracer. Then you go for a “post stress” scan.
The scans are compared and they are looking for any cold spots on the scan where the tracer did not make it in the heart. This would suggest a blockage. They also gain information from any symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath) that are reproducible with exertion. The EKG can also show changes (ST segment depression, arrhythmias) that suggest a blockage.
My advice is to push yourself as hard as you can on the treadmill. You want to know how your heart and body respond to maximal exertion while surrounded by medical professionals. You don’t want to find out how it responds on a training run out by yourself.
yes, very straightforward, with additional scanning after the fact I think to see how things changed.
I actually do the tests. I can answer any questions. It is pretty simple. Get an injection, wait, image and then stress test. Another injection and then image sometime after. Bruce protocol is usually used for the treadmill if you want to look that up and try it ahead of time. Goal should be 220-age. Minimum is 85 percent of that to be diagnostic.
So is the nuclear stress test just better at detecting blockages compared to echo and stress test? I have echo and stress test next week so I’m just curious.
I actually do the tests. I can answer any questions. It is pretty simple. Get an injection, wait, image and then stress test. Another injection and then image sometime after. Bruce protocol is usually used for the treadmill if you want to look that up and try it ahead of time. Goal should be 220-age. Minimum is 85 percent of that to be diagnostic.
So is the nuclear stress test just better at detecting blockages compared to echo and stress test? I have echo and stress test next week so I’m just curious.
Nuclear stress testing is a stress test with imaging to enhance sensitivity/specificity-ie make it a better and more accurate test to look for critical blockages in the coronary arteries.
some additional information
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...art_Health_7911.html
I’m getting one next week.
Looks pretty straight forward.
Good luck and I hope it comes out OK.
Bruce Treadmill Test Stages, Speeds, and Inclines StageTreadmill Speed Treadmill Incline
1 1.7 mph10%
grade 2. 2.5 mph12%
grade 3. 3.4 mph14%
grade 4. 4.2 mph16%
grade 5. 5.0 mph18%
grade 6. 5.5 mph20%
grade 7. 6.0 mph22%
Here is the set up for the Bruce, I know it quite well as I have done it every year for the last 20 years. Also did it in my 20’s as part of a study paper on elite triathletes, and it hasn’t gotten any easier. One thing about the heart rate stuff, many people fall well under the predicted HR they want you to achieve, and it is no failing on your part. Just that the 220 minus your age is quite antiquated, and fails to take personal rhythms into account. And on the other end, many will hit their so called 85% and hardly be breathing hard, so if that is you, dont let them stop the machine. Just tell them you wish to go on, its good as someone pointed out to find any peculiarities there, rather than on a mountain trail running all by yourself up the hill…
And it may not look so bad on paper, but a 10 minute mile at 22% grade is no joke, especially when you just came off 20% grade the past 3 minutes at 11 minute pace…
In stress testing there are a couple different ways to test for blockages. A stress test with imaging is the most accurate. We have 2 options for exercise stress testing with imaging. Option 1: nuclear stress test with a scan of your heart to see the tracer and blood flow. Option 2: Stress echo. At peak exercise you stop and lie down while the echo/ultrasound is taken of your heart. They are looking for the walls of your heart chambers to contract in a normal fashion.
So each test is looking for abnormalities that would suggest you have a blockage. Each test has it’s positives and negatives.
In stress testing there are a couple different ways to test for blockages. A stress test with imaging is the most accurate. We have 2 options for exercise stress testing with imaging. Option 1: nuclear stress test with a scan of your heart to see the tracer and blood flow. Option 2: Stress echo. At peak exercise you stop and lie down while the echo/ultrasound is taken of your heart. They are looking for the walls of your heart chambers to contract in a normal fashion.
So each test is looking for abnormalities that would suggest you have a blockage. Each test has it’s positives and negatives.
interesting thanks. I’m having a stress echo. I don’t believe my cardiologist feels there is any blockage given my minor symptoms and the rest of my medical history but I guess one never knows until you do the tests to rule things out