Who Should Have a Stress Test?

You already know that your heart works harder when your body’s working harder. You’ve probably felt your heartbeat pick up when carrying something heavy or climbing a lengthy flight of stairs. 

It’s during these moments that your heart is under the most stress. As a result, if you’re at risk for any cardiovascular condition, it’s important that your doctor is able to understand how your heart handles that added pressure.

To do precisely that, David Bolon, MD, offers exercise stress tests at Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular in Midtown East Manhattan, New York City. With this test, which uses an echocardiogram (ECG), he can assess how your heart performs when it’s working hard. That can be helpful in diagnosing certain conditions, guiding treatment, or evaluating your candidacy for surgery. Let’s look at each use case for stress tests individually. 

People who might have a heart condition

A stress test can be highly useful if Dr. Bolon suspects something is going on with your heart. During your test, he hooks you up to the ECG and has you get your heart rate up with a little bit of cardiovascular activity. 

What he sees while your heart is working hard can tell him a lot. He can use it to inform the diagnosis of a range of heart conditions, from arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) to coronary artery disease. 

If you’ve noticed heart-related symptoms — particularly if they tend to crop up when you’re exerting yourself — Dr. Bolon may recommend a stress test to take a closer look. 

People who need heart treatment

A stress test offers insights even after diagnosis. When Dr. Bolon develops a treatment plan for you, he stays involved to ensure it’s working the way it should.

An exercise stress test gives him a way to confirm that everything — from lifestyle changes to medication — is working not just when you’re at rest, but also when your heart is having to carry a heavy load. And since that’s when it’s most important for your heart to function properly, the stress test plays a key role in guiding Dr. Bolon to the most effective treatment recommendations for you. 

People considering heart surgery

Before Dr. Bolon recommends heart surgery, he needs to ensure that your body is up to the recovery process. If he has discussed a procedure with you, he will generally include a stress test as part of your candidacy evaluation process. This provides an extra measure of safety, tipping Dr. Bolon off to any issues that could create obstacles during your procedure or your healing process afterward. 

Before your stress test, Dr. Bolon talks with you about what to expect. The goal is to stress your heart, not you. If you have any questions or think you might benefit from this type of test, call us at (716) 303-4738 or book your appointment online.