Nuclear Stress Test
A stress test is a type of nuclear scan performed at CCMA that shows how well your blood flows to the heart muscle. Physicians request the test after an abnormal EKG or to ensure your cardiac safety.
A stress test is useful to determine:
- Extent of a coronary artery blockage
- Prognosis of patients after a heart attack
- Effectiveness of cardiac procedures done to improve circulation in coronary arteries
- Cause of chest pain
- Level of exercise that a patient can safely perform
To conduct the stress test, CCMA nuclear medicine technologists take images of the patient’s heart while resting. Then, the patient is “stressed” either by walking on a treadmill or riding a bicycle. Physicians compare new images taken following the “stress” to the first images to determine a diagnosis.