An exercise stress test usually takes about an hour, including the preparation time and the time it takes to do the actual test. The exercise part takes only around 15 minutes. It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle. If you can't exercise, you may get medicine that affects the heart like exercise does.
Before a stress test
Your healthcare professional usually asks questions about your medical history and how often and how hard you exercise. This helps your healthcare team decide how much you can exercise during the test. Your healthcare professional usually listens to your heart and lungs to check for anything that might affect your test results.
During a stress test
A healthcare professional places sticky patches called electrodes on your chest and sometimes your arms and legs. Body hair may be shaved to help the patches stick. The patches record the heartbeat. Wires connect the patches to a computer, which shows or prints the test results. This part of a test is called an electrocardiogram, commonly called an ECG.
A cuff on your arm checks your blood pressure during the test. You may be asked to breathe into a tube during the test to show how well you're able to breathe during exercise.
Exercise may be on a treadmill or stationary bike. The pace is easy at first. As the test continues, the exercise gets harder. You can use the railing on the treadmill for balance. Don't hang on tightly, as this may affect the results.
Exercise continues until your heart rate reaches a target level. You might need to stop sooner if you get symptoms such as:
- Moderate to severe chest pain.
- Severe shortness of breath.
- Unusually high or low blood pressure.
- An irregular heartbeat.
- Dizziness.
- Fatigue.
If you can't exercise during the stress test, a healthcare professional gives you medicine through a needle in your vein, called an IV. The medicine increases blood flow to the heart, similar to exercise.
You can stop the test anytime you're too uncomfortable. Your healthcare professional might stop the test if there are concerns about the way your heart is acting during the test.
After a stress test
After exercising, you may be asked to stand still for several seconds and then lie down for a while. Your healthcare professional watches for changes in your heart rate and breathing as you recover from the exercise.
When the test is done, you may return to your usual activities unless your healthcare team tells you otherwise.