Review of procedure:
Instead of using a treadmill, the pharmacological nuclear stress test is a procedure in which a medication is injected to cause some blood vessels in the heart to open (dilate) just as would occur if you were exercising. This test is done over a two-day period.
Before day one of the procedure:
- Do not eat or drink for four hours before the test and avoid caffeine for 24 hours beforehand
- Wear comfortable clothes and sneakers
- Bring a list of current medications and ask your doctor which of your medications are okay to take before the test
During day one of the procedure:
The test usually takes three hours. During the test an intravenous line (IV) will be placed in your arm and small adhesive pads are placed on the upper body to monitor heart rate and EKG. Instead of walking on a treadmill, a medication will be injected through the IV to stimulate exercise in your heart. The nuclear tracer will then be injected through your IV line. Blood pressure, heart rate and EKG are frequently monitored before, during, and after the test. After the nuclear tracer injection you will have a 45 minute break during which you may eat and drink and then return for the imaging, which takes approximately 20 minutes.
- You can resume eating, drinking and taking your medicine unless your doctor states otherwise before the resting portion of the test
- Wear comfortable clothing
The second day of testing takes approximately 90 minutes. During this day of testing, an IV will be placed in your arm and the nuclear tracer will again be injected. After a 45 minute break a set of images will be taken. These images will be compared to the images taken on day one of testing when your heart was being stressed while using the treadmill.