Role of Stress Echocardiography in Long Island

Also known as Stress Echo, Exercise Echo, or a Dobutamine Echo is a procedure that determines how properly your heart and blood vessels are working.

This procedure allows the doctor to see the wall motion of the heart’s pumping chamber before and after the exercise. It is most often used to detect a decrease in blood flow to the heart from narrowing in the coronary arteries.

Motive of the Stress Echocardiography Test in Long Island

• To assess the heart prior to major surgery
• To assess heart function and exercise capacity after a heart attack, angioplasty, or bypass surgery
• To aid in the assessment of coronary artery disease

Who performs it?

A doctor assisted by a technician or a nurse.

Special Concerns

• Individuals who do not exercise everyday because of lung disorders, orthopedic, arthritic, may be given a drug that increases the heart rate.
• Individuals who have serious heart disease or unstable angina may not be able to go through this procedure.
• Individuals who have thick chests, chest wall abnormalities. For such patients a cardiac nuclear scan may be a good choice.

The Experience

• Once you lie down, ECG leads are applied to your chest to examine your heart rate and rhythm during the procedure.
• A gel is applied to your chest to allow better transmission of the sound waves. Additionally, the doctor then moves the transducer across your chest to get pictures of your heart while at rest.
• The test gets over when you get an adequate heart rate or develop various symptoms such as fatigue
• This test lasts for 20 to 60 minutes.

After the test

• You will rest until your heart rate, blood pressure are normal. The ECG leads and then the gel is removed from your chest.
• If there are no problems, you can continue with your daily activities

Results

• The doctor will examine the recorded pictures for signs of any cardiac abnormality.
• If a definitive diagnosis can be made based on this test, treatment will be started with diet, exercise, or medication.
• In some situations, more invasive tests, such as cardiac catheterization, may be needed to further evaluate the abnormality

We hope this blog has helped you get familiar with Stress Echocardiography in Long Island. If you have any queries regarding stress echocardiography, write it in the comments section below.