WHAT IS AN ADENOSINE STRESS TEST?
An Adenosine Stress Test uses the drug Adenosine to stress your heart. Adenosine causes the body to respond as if it were exercising. It will show the blood flow to the heart using pictures taken with a special camera. During this stress test you will have an IV in your arm so that the nuclear medicine technologist can inject the drug Adenosine and the imaging drug Thallium or Sestimibi into an IV in your arm. The test takes approximately 5 hours.
If you are pregnant or nursing, check with your doctor before scheduling the test.
For more information on your heart visit the
Upper Michigan Heart
Institute.
PREPARATION BEFORE THE TEST
You cannot have caffeine for 24 hours prior to the test, this includes coffee,
tea, and caffeinated pop.
Medications containing Theophylline and/or Aminophylline must not be taken
for 36-48 hours prior to the test. Check with your doctor to see if you are
taking these medications.
THE DAY OF THE TEST
Do not eat or drink anything (including water) after midnight.
You may brush your teeth, but do not swallow any water.
Take your regular medication (if diabetic, see below) with a sip of water, unless your doctor has directed you not to.
If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar on the morning of the test and report this to the staff. Check with your doctor before taking any diabetic medication. If your blood sugar is very low and you do not feel well, you may have some juice prior to the test. Remember to bring your diabetic medication to your appointment.
Bring a list of your current medications to your appointment.
You will be asked your allergies, height, and weight at this appointment.
Wear comfortable street clothing and walking shoes. Women should NOT wear dresses, one piece girdles, or longline bras.
Women will need to remove their blouses and underwire bras. A hospital gown will be provided as a cover-up. Men will need to remove their shirts. The skin on your chest will be prepared for electrodes (small sticky pads) using alcohol and a gauze pad. Ten electrodes will be applied to your chest. Hair on your chest may be shaved off so that the electrodes will stick to the skin. Let the technologist know if you have sensitive skin or skin allergies.
The electrodes will be hooked up to an electrocardiogram machine.
An IV will be started in your hand or arm.
The drug Adenosine will be injected into the IV. This will take approximately 4 minutes.
Let the supervising person know how you are feeling during this time. You will be asked this question frequently during this test. It is very important to report how your are feeling.
The technologist will then inject the imaging drug, Thallium or Sestimibi. Pictures will be taken with a special camera called a Gamma Camera. These pictures will be taken for approximately 25 minutes, during this time YOU MUST NOT MOVE. Make sure you are comfortable before the scan is started because the scan cannot be interrupted once the pictures have begun.
After the pictures are taken, you will be asked to rest for approximately 2.5-3 hours. You will be escorted to the waiting room to wait during this period. You may leave the hospital during this time unless the doctor directs you not to. During this time, you CANNOT have anything to eat or drink, except sips of water. You must avoid physical exercise and smoking during this rest period.
After this rest period, more pictures will be taken. A doctor will compare
these pictures with those taken earlier. The results from this test will
be provided to your doctor in approximately 10 days.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
________________________________________________
Q. Why can't I eat or drink before the test?
A.
Imaging drugs travel to any working muscle.
When you eat or drink, your stomach becomes a working muscle and would be
working as hard as your heart. This would make the test results difficult
to interpret, possibly resulting in false readings or having to reschedule
the test another time.
Q. What amount of radiation will I be exposed to?
A. The amount
of radiation you will be exposed to is similar to the amount you receive
from a chest x-ray.
Q. What if I don't feel good the day before the test or the day of the test?
A. Please
consult your doctor if you are not feeling well. If you need to reschedule
your test contact Marquette General Hospital Central Scheduling at 225-3551
or 1-800-562-9753, ext. 3551
Q. How will I feel during the test?
A. During the test you may feel some side effects from the drug, Adenosine. Some people do not experience any side effects. You may experience the following:
Heavier breathing
Chest pain
Headache
Flushing, nausea, or a "funny" feeling
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