What is a Stress Echo?
A stress echo is a form of echocardiography in which an echocardiographer obtains a set of images of the heart in the resting conditions. Then the patient exercises on a treadmill or other equipment to increase the heart rate and the demand of the heart. When the patient reaches his or her maximum exercise capacity a second set of images are obtain within one minute. The cardiologist compares the two sets of images and draws some conclusions about the condition of the heart and its function under stress. The same results may be obtained by an intravenous infusion of a drug, usually dobutamine. This type of examination is known as a pharmacological stress echocardiogram and is useful when patients are unable to exercise on a treadmill. If abnormalities are noted between the two or more sets of images, then these abnormalities may indicate obstruction in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.
