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Cardiac Stress Test

stresstestThe cardiac stress test is used to diagnose coronary heart disease by making it possible to see how the heart performs under pressure.

How does it work?

A cardiac stress test is performed by pushing the heart to work harder than usual. This stress can be induced by two different methods:

  • Exercise. The patient is asked to perform exercise during the test, usually using a treadmill.
  • Medication. The patient is given medication that accelerates the heart and simulates exercise.

During the stress test the patient has a set of electrodes attached to the chest. These electrodes are connected to a system that registers the activity and show the results in a monitor. Since the heart is beating faster and pumping more blood, the doctor can monitor for any anomalies that under normal working conditions, would not arise.

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