Treadmills Vs. Chemical Stress Tests

Treadmill and chemical stress tests are generally ordered by a cardiologist. Chemical stress tests are usually performed due to a patient's inability to physically use a treadmill. Both tests can help determine if heart disease exists.

Identification

• A stress test, related to the heart, can be performed on a treadmill or intravenously with chemical agents. The stress test is designed to identify how much exercise, or work, the heart can safely handle.

Treadmill Test

• During a treadmill stress test the patient is hooked up to heart monitoring equipment. The treadmill begins to move at a slow pace, getting faster throughout the test as the participant walks in place.

Chemical Test

• A chemical stress test is accomplished by injecting a patient with pharmaceutical agents intravenously and performing specific imaging procedures. The drugs used, dipyridamole, dobutamine, and adenosine, are administered over a four-minute time frame.

Effects

• The effects of both tests are designed to increase the heart rate, detect heart disease, and measure any blockage. Possible side effects include breathlessness, weakness, tiredness, and nausea.

Time Frame

• Tests of either kind generally last between two and four hours. The tests can be stopped at any time by the patient, or if the doctor detects a life-threatening problem.