At the Jasser Center for Comprehensive Care we have unrivaled experience in cardiology with a focus on nuclear cardiology testing. A nuclear stress test is an excellent diagnostic tool to evaluate the health of your heart. Call us today to schedule an appointment or request a consultation online.
A nuclear stress test is a diagnostic tool the practice uses to evaluate, diagnose, and treat heart problems. Heart disease is a severe medical problem that you can manage when you find it early on.
Nuclear stress testing has two parts — the first while you’re at rest and the second after you’ve exercised.
During the test, the team injects a radioactive liquid into your intravenous (IV) line. It traces the substances through your heart with specialized imaging.
The test allows the team to see how blood flows through vital areas of your heart.
The practice also provides echocardiograms, carotid ultrasounds, and testing in your leg veins and arteries to rule out a deep vein thrombosis.
You may require nuclear stress testing if the team has diagnosed you with heart disease and is evaluating your response to treatment.
If you’ve been experiencing episodes of chest pain and shortness of breath, the team offers nuclear stress testing to evaluate the overall health of your heart.
The team may also recommend a nuclear stress test if they suspect your symptoms are due to coronary artery disease.
During the nuclear stress test, you’ll move around so the team can see your heart work at rest and after physical activity.
You’ll have an IV in your arm for the team to deliver the radioactive substance. Once in your bloodstream, the group waits several minutes for it to circulate through your heart.
They then place electrodes on your chest and a blood pressure cuff on your arm to evaluate your heart rhythm and blood pressure during the test.
You’ll lie on a table and lie completely still while a unique imaging device takes pictures of the blood flow in your heart.
The team then has you get up and run on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike until you reach a specific heart rate or experience uncomfortable symptoms. However, if you’re in pain or don’t feel good, notify the team and stop exercising immediately.
More radioactive substances go into your IV, and the team again evaluates the blood flow through your heart with exceptional imaging.
If you can’t exercise, the team injects medication into your IV that simulates your heart during exercise to achieve accurate results.
Call the Jasser Center for Comprehensive Care today to schedule a nuclear stress test or request a consultation online.