The stress test is a particular test used to analyze people’s bodies for signs of heart disease. Trained technicians and physicians use this test to see how much stress an individual’s heart can take before an abnormal rhythm develops, or the patient shows evidence of limited blood flow to the heart muscle. There are a few different types of stress tests a physician or trained technician might perform. One is called the exercise stress test.

During the exercise stress test, also known as an electrocardiogram or a treadmill test, a physician analyzes a patient to see how much their heart will respond to exertion. The test generally has a patient walking on the treadmill or peddling on a stationary bike. The levels of difficulty on the treadmill and bike are increased gradually over time while the physician or technician monitors the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and electrocardiogram.

If a person is not able to exercise, a technician or physician injects the individual with a drug that mimics exercising. Another type of stress test a physician might use is called the stress echocardiogram. This test offers a graphic outline of an individual’s heart movement. It visualizes the motion of the pumping action in a stressed heart and motion of an individual’s heart walls, revealing a lack of blood flow in some patients.

One other test a physician or trained technician might use is called the nuclear stress test. During this test, the expert injects a small amount of a radioactive substance into a patient then uses a special camera to identify and analyze rays emitted from the radioactive substance within the individual’s body. The nuclear stress test shows clear images of the heart tissue on a monitor, clearly defining which parts of the individual’s heart are healthy or not.

Purchasing the equipment for a stress test can be very damaging on a wallet. One way to address this issue is to purchase used medical equipment for the stress test. Determine which type of test you want to reform, and purchase the stress test materials from a reliable used medical equipment dealer.