What is Sestimibi (Cardiolite)?
Sestimibi (Cardiolite) is a radioactive substance(tracer). It is given through an IV. As it travels in the bloodstream and through the heart arteries, it is picked up by the heart muscle cells. The areas of the heart that have a good blood supply pick up the tracer right away and more completely. Areas that do not have a good blood supply pick up the tracer very slowly or not at all. Sestimibi gives off a small amount of radiation that is seen with a nuclear scanning camera. A computer takes the information and makes a picture of the radioactivity picked up by the heart muscle. If an area receives less blood than the rest of the heart (because of a blocked or narrowed artery), it will pick up a lower level of radioactivity and will show up as a lighter area, called a “defect.” Sestimibi is given while you are at rest and while your heart is under stress (during exercise). Rest and stress images are taken. This will allow the doctor to compare how much blood flows through the heart musc
