What Does a Stress Test Show? A Peek Into Your Heart Health

When did you last think about whether your heart is working as it should? A stress test for heart problems can help provide valuable insight into your heart’s performance, all while revealing issues that might not be noticeable all the time.

Whether you’re having shortness of breath, experiencing chest pain, or just want to learn more about your heart health, a stress test can detect potentially fatal problems and offer peace of mind.

What Does a Stress Test Show?

A stress test simulates physical activity to see how well your heart performs under stress. This helps doctors identify signs of heart disease, check for irregular heartbeats known as arrhythmias, assess your ability to exercise, and more.

As your heart rate rises, a doctor will monitor your heart’s activity using an electrocardiogram (ECG). This records electrical signals to detect any irregular rhythms or blood flow issues. 

When Do You Need a Heart Stress Test?

A stress test can tell doctors a lot about your heart health, and knowing exactly when and why a physician might call in for a stress test can help ensure you get the right treatment.

Some reasons for a heart stress test may include:

• Assessing exercise capacity: This helps determine a safe level of physical activity.
• Diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD): When plaque builds up in the arteries, it can restrict blood flow and cause chest pain or discomfort, known as CAD.
• Evaluating symptoms of heart arrhythmias: Signs include heart palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, or shortness of breath.
• Monitoring heart health: If you have a history of heart disease or heart failure or are undergoing treatment for a heart condition, a stress test can help track your health and progress.
• Determining whether surgery is safe: Some surgeries may require a stress test beforehand to see if your heart is strong enough.

Types of Stress Tests

Several types of stress tests can be employed to assess the health of one’s heart. However, these stress tests are designed to provide specific information about your heart, so your physician will decide which test to utilize based on the information they need. 

A routine treadmill stress test monitors your heart as you exercise on a treadmill. While hooked up to an ECG, a doctor will record your heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing as you exercise. If a treadmill stress test doesn’t show the cause of your symptoms, you may be recommended to have further testing. 

Some stress tests are more involved and include nuclear images of the blood flow to the heart. These tests can be performed either in conjunction with the treadmill stress test or on its own. For those who cannot exercise on the treadmill, the exercise can be mimicked with medication. 

PET/CT stress testing is one of the most accurate and advanced stress tests available; however, it is only offered in limited places, such as The Cardiovascular Center of Florida.  

For any stress test, cardiac imaging enhances diagnostic accuracy by providing detailed pictures of your heart’s structure. Using these images, doctors can see if areas of your heart aren’t receiving enough oxygen or if you have any blocked arteries.

What Do Heart Stress Test Results Show? 

Essentially, the results of a stress test show how well your heart performs while working. More specifically, heart stress test results reveal:

• Blood flow issues from blocked or narrowed arteries
• Abnormal heart rhythms that may require treatment
• Your exercise capacity, which helps determine safe levels of physical activity
• Signs of heart failure or certain valve problems which can be detected by checking how your heart pumps blood during activity

If you receive normal stress test results, your heart is beating and pumping blood as it should, and you can exercise safely without worrying. On the other hand, abnormal results may point to signs of heart disease, an irregular heart rhythm, or reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, meaning further treatment may be necessary.

Take Charge of Your Heart Health with a Stress Test

If you’re experiencing symptoms like chest pain or fatigue, a heart stress test can help shed light on your heart health. Our Central Florida cardiovascular specialists use the latest cardiac imaging and heart health screening tests to provide diagnoses and treatment plans.