The Stress Test as an Effective Diagnostic Tool in Medicine

There are certain functions the human body is designed to perform during periods of increased pressure and stress. On top of that, various biochemical reactions also take place that can be anticipated. Heightened cardiac output, or the heart working harder, is one such reaction to stress. In other words, both heart rate and blood pressure go up to provide the means necessary for the body to deal with the stress. Doctors perform stress tests on their patients because it is a perfect method to determine the health and limitations of their hearts. Cardiac stress test is an excellent resource.

The nuclear stress test measures blood flow to the heart. This test is meant to measure the heart's blood flow in exercise conditions as well as "at rest" conditions. The images are possible because of radioactive compounds, which give the test its name by the way, that are used during the test. The conditions of resting and exercise are important for this test so it must be performed during these times. There is a difference with this test in that the image is taken as soon as the subject has finished exercising on a treadmill. This allows physicians to captures the movements of the heart while it is still stressed.

The basic stress test is a process that is not as complex as other kinds of stress tests like the nuclear stress test. During a general test like with a treadmill or standing bicycle test, the individual heart has to be watched. It can be observed with an EKG or ECG monitor. The patient then has to walk at a ordinary speed on the treadmill. Slowly, the pace of the treadmill is raised so that the stress on the heart goes up or the heart is in stress. While this is going on, the doctor is there doing tests and also available in case anything goes wrong. Also, during this time, the patient's blood pressure and heart rate are watched heavily. Men's sexual issues usually indicate an underlying artery clogging issue, one of the reasons why many erectile dysfunction clinic often direct patients to take the cardiac stress test prior to suggesting treatment.

Nuclear stress tests are designed to recreate an image of the heart as it operates under stressful conditions and radioactive isotopes are used to achieve this. As you are aware, a heart under stress is more likely to show if there are any cardiovascular problems. It is also critical that the doctor gets images of the heart while it is resting. Therefore, these images are produced with the aid of isotopes injected into the blood stream.

Diagnosing different heart problems is much easier with the help of the nuclear stress test. If you ever need to have one performed, you should ask your doctor as many questions as possible. The reason for asking questions is simply so you will have greater knowledge about the situation as well as your specific condition.