Why Are Nuclear Stress Tests Given?

A nuclear stress test is given to a patient with heart issues to provide advanced information about a patient's heart structure and function. During the test, a patient's heart is monitored during rest and exercise by injecting a radioactive isotope into the body, which is absorbed by the heart and acts as a source of imaging for doctors to evaluate.

Alternative to EKGs

• Normally, the heart is monitored by electrocardiograms, where information is provided by electrical imaging. By using a radioactive isotope, doctors can receive more detailed information for earlier or more accurate diagnoses.

Monitoring of Heart Structure and Function

• With a nuclear stress test, doctors can monitor features such as blood flow, the performance of damaged areas and the extent to which artery passages have been blocked. With this information, doctors can assess the reasons for chest pain or previous heart attacks, and they might be able to diagnose conditions/diseases such as cardiovascular heart disease.

Previous Operations

• Nuclear stress tests are an effective way of assessing the performance of any earlier cardiac operations.

Exercise

• A nuclear stress tests provides imaging through various levels of exercise. Through monitoring, the increasing stress levels of a patient's heart, doctors can assess critical levels of exercise.

Warnings

• For some such as pregnant individuals or those that have suffered severe heart failure, a nuclear stress test can be unreasonable or dangerous. Some risks exist for all, including rare cases of skin rashes in response to the radioactive isotope. There is also the chance a false positive result will appear with regard to a heart defect.