What is a Nuclear Stress Test?

A cardiac stress test is a non-invasive cardiological exam that measures the ability of your heart to react to external stress in an otherwise controlled clinical environment. It is usually performed on patients suspected of having cardiac disease or suffering from other serious conditions like arrhythmia. It is sometimes also used to assess the risk for sudden death caused by heart attacks or by unstable angina, in order to reduce the dosage of anti-hypertensive medicines.

Cardiac stress tests are normally done in three ways: with electrocardiogram (ECG), computerized tomography (CT) scan, and a standard stress test machine. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you undergo a cardiac evaluation and the results show that your heart is suffering from abnormalities, then you will be asked for a complete medical history so that your doctor may have a better understanding of your medical conditions. In certain cases, your doctor may request for more information, particularly about your emotional health and your lifestyle.

The most common nuclear stress test involves two sets of twenty-four electrodes attached to your body. These electrodes are placed either in your chest or in your arm or both. The electrodes are connected to a computer and a series of two-way communications is made between the computer and the heart. This enables your doctor to determine the force with which your heart contracts and relaxes while at rest.

The first set of twenty-four electrodes is attached to the computer and they communicate with the heart using the computer's serial port. The second set of twenty-four electrodes is connected to the EKG (electrocardiograph) machine. Once these two sets of electrodes are connected, the machine creates a signal from each of the twenty-four points on your body that is then sent to the cardiac stress test machine. Your doctor will read your results and determine if you have a cardiac or a neurological condition and determine the nature of the nuclear stress test.

There are several types of nuclear stress tests that are performed in hospitals today. One type is a resting heart stress test. This is done while the patient is resting in a hospital room. This can take several hours depending on how severe your heart condition is. Once the results of the resting heart test come back, your doctor will be able to tell whether or not you have a mild, moderate or severe heart condition.

Another type of nuclear stress test is an invasive procedure where a tiny amount of radiation, called a tracer is injected into a person's heart. The tracer is actually attached to a catheter that is inserted into your heart through the chest wall. The technician inserts a tiny stick-like device called a radiotracer into your chest. A radio wave is sent out from the radiotracer so that the technician can find out what is going on inside of your heart. The technician will then inject the tracer into one of your coronary arteries. Once the tracer has reached its destination, a monitor that measures the amount of energy that has been injected into your body's arteries will show you what is happening.

Sometimes nuclear testing is done to see if you have high blood pressure. If you do have this condition, you may be asked to put some sort of radioactive substance into your vein. The radioactive substance is supposed to help measure the intensity of the stress on your heart muscle. The radiation inserted into the vein will allow the technician to get an accurate reading of the amount of stress being placed on your muscles. Then the nuclear testing technician will inject a very small amount of the radioactive substance into the area. This small amount will allow the technician to determine if too much blood flow is occurring within the muscle.

Nuclear stress tests are usually only performed on people who have already had a heart attack or angina treatment. Patients who have had either one of these procedures may feel some discomfort from the radioactive substance being injected into their bodies. However, if the results show that the nuclear injection is not having an adverse effect on your health, you may be given clearance to proceed with the procedure. You should consult with your doctor about the procedure so that he or she can make the decision for you based on your health.

What Food Allergies Is and How You Can Recognize Them

Food allergies occur when the body's immune system wrongly identifies proteins found in certain foods as a potential threat. Because of this, some chemicals are introduced into the body which result in an allergic reaction. It is these chemicals that ultimately cause the actual symptoms of a food allergy. If left untreated, however, food allergies can lead to severe illness and even death. Peanut and tree nuts are two of the most common food allergies. Many children have a food allergy to either one or both tree nuts and/or peanuts. A severe reaction may take hold if they are exposed to both tree nuts or peanuts at once. Overdosing on peanuts or tree nuts (especially peanuts) can lead to a life threatening high fever. Tree nuts and peanuts are both protein rich and have a long chain of amino acids. They are also both rich in protein and have several essential amino acids necessary for human development. For this reason, they are frequently found in a person's diet. They are als...

How to Deal With Stress Face Rash

Stress can really cause a great deal of skin damage. Some people are not even aware that they have been under stress until they have symptoms such as a face rash or eczema. Other people have no idea that they are stressed until it is too late. When you are constantly stressed out, your body puts on a lot of weight and causes your skin to become thin and fragile. This makes you more susceptible to many different types of skin problems. The first thing you need to do when you think you might be stressed is relax. If you must tell yourself that you are stressed, then do so during a calm, peaceful moment. Do not think about the stressful situation during this time. You are better off focusing your mind on something else. This will help to distract your mind, which in turn helps you to relax. Getting enough sleep is crucial if you want to stay healthy and work well at all times. Try to go to bed at least the same time each night. You should wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on you...

How To Reduce Your Exposure To Allergic Reactions To Ragweed

Ragweed is probably one of the worst known environmental allergens which doctors to see, and it is estimated that up to 10 percent of Americans have it. "It's everywhere - on our clothes, the foods we eat, our cars, even our hands," says Mary E. Zuber, MD, a dermatologist in Scarsville, Utah. "We know that ragweed has the potential to cause problems for people who suffer from asthma or allergic rhinitis." What's more, the extent of the problem is probably under-recognized, since many patients do not realize they're prone to ragweed until it is too late. Unfortunately, the extent of the problem may also be under-treated, because doctors are less likely to look for skin rashes, itchy nose, sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, and chest congestion - all classic signs of ragweed allergy in humans. Even in areas where ragweed allergy is not common, the plant can still be a big problem, especially during ragweed season (also called autumn leaf fever) when it launc...

What Are the Symptoms of Bladder Cancer?

Smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer, as well as for most other forms of cancer. This is simply because tobacco contains carcinogenic (carcinogenic) substances. If you smoke heavily for years, these substances gradually permeate into your blood stream and are metabolized into your urine, where they remain inactive. Eventually, the toxins begin to attack healthy cells in your body. Cancerous cells begin to rapidly grow, while healthy tissue gradually deteriorates. As a result, bladder cancer progresses slowly over time. This type of cancer is called non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and accounts for more than 90 percent of all malignancies. One of the key signs of bladder cancer is hematuria--a decrease in the volume of the urine that a person produces. Hematuria is caused by a decrease in the number of red blood cells produced by the white blood cells. When there is an increase in the number of red blood cells, the oxygen level in the urine increases. Because more oxygen causes a hig...

Stress Anxiety Depression Test - How to Take the Best Stress Anxiety Depression Test

There are many ways that you can conduct a stress anxiety depression test. This is a must if you are thinking about taking medication or any other form of treatment for your condition. These tests will not only let you know where there are problems in your life, but it can also give you the power to take control and make changes so that you can live a better life. One way to conduct a stress anxiety depression test is through your own observations. You need to keep track of things that happen to you on a daily basis, both good and bad. Write down what you did and what you experienced. This could be anything from getting up very early in the morning to sitting at home watching television. Record each time it happens so you can look back on it and see what you did and what you experienced. When you begin to notice things that are out of place, you need to record these as well. You may be tempted to simply forget certain things, but you need to resist the temptation because it could make ...

HealthyLife

Search This Blog