Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Stress Tests
A test that compares electrical activity of the heart before, during, and after physical exercise (or after medication to increase heart pumping for patients who cannot exercise). It allows your doctor to determine if there are blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.
Measuring electrical activity
Your doctor will place approximately 10 electrode patches on the skin of your arms, legs and chest. These electrode patches are hooked up to the electrocardiography or ECG machine, which measures the heart’s electrical activity. Your blood pressure is also monitored.
Working up speed
Your doctor will first take an ECG reading while you are at rest. Then, you will be asked to exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike. The exercise will begin slowly, then steadily the speed will change to increase the workload on the heart. ECG measurements are taken continuously. Once you have reached a pre-determined, optimum heart rate, the procedure will end.
Assessing exercise tolerance
Stress tests are used to evaluate your exercise tolerance and determine if there is a narrowing in an artery leading to the heart muscle - a warning sign of a possible heart attack.
