Tread Mill Test for Heart

The exercise stress test -- also known as an exercise electrocardiogram, treadmill test, graded exercise test, or stress EKG -- is used most often. It lets your doctor know how your heart responds to being pushed. You'll walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike.The reaction to stress is produced either by exercise or drug stimulation. The stresstest compares the circulation of blood in the heart when the patient is resting and when he is under optimum physical pressure. There are various types of stress tests but the most common of them is the Treadmill stress test.

Adenosine Stress Test: This test is used in people who are unable to exercise. A drug is given to make the heart respond as if the person were exercising.

Stress echocardiogram: An echocardiogram (often called "echo") is a graphic outline of the heart's movement. 

Nuclear stress test: This test helps to determine which parts of the heart are healthy and function normally and which are not.

Reason for TMT

Determine if there is adequate blood flow to your heart during increasing levels of activity.
Evaluate the effectiveness of your heart medications to control angina and ischemia.
Determine the likelihood of having coronary heart disease and the need for further evaluation.
Check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve blood flow within the heart vessels in people with coronary heart disease.
Identify abnormal heart rhythms.
Help you develop a safe exercise program.

The Cost of a normal TMT test would be approximately INR 2000 to 2500, for a Stress Echo it would be approximately INR 4500 to 5500 and for nuclear stress test the cost would be INR 7000 to 9000.

What Tread Mill Test Reports

For men with symptoms like chest pain with activity or unexplained shortness of breath, an abnormal stress test points to a higher risk of CAD. But it's more worrisome in a man who also has risk factors like older age, being overweight, or high cholesterol. If you have symptoms and the test result looks normal, the risk of CAD is lower. But it's important to understand that a "normal" stress test can't rule out the chance that a plaque will later rupture and block an artery—the proverbial tale of the man who passes a stress test with flying colors and then has a heart attack a week later. Stress testing detects arteries that are severely narrowed (70% or more). This is what causes symptoms. Heart attacks often result from lesser blockages that rupture and form clots.

The Risks Of An Exercise Stress Test

Stress tests are generally considered safe, especially since they are done in a controlled environment under the supervision of a trained medical professional.