Heart diseases are common all over the world and in our society due to many reasons such as the difficulties of daily life, diet or genetic characteristics. One of the most common diseases is cardiovascular diseases, which can be seen in anyone, regardless of young or old.
“The important thing here is that this disease group, which can be fatal; early diagnosis and treatment. Many diagnostic methods offered by today's medicine are expensive and can harm patients. However, what we have done; Istanbul Okan University Hospital Cardiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Nihat Özer explained!
What is Exercise Stress Echocardiography (SE) Test?
Exercise Stress Echocardiography is a test that combines cardiac ultrasonography (echocardiography), which performs the structural evaluation of the heart, and the effort test that makes its functional evaluation. Your heart; It can detect existing and future diseases of its lids, membranes, muscles and vessels with an accuracy rate of 90-95 percent. It is a high value test in terms of predicting the probabilities that cause bad results about the heart (heart attack, death, etc.). Other important advantages of stress echocardiography are; It is not to use intravenous substances such as radiation and contrast material that may be harmful to the patient. In cases where exercise ECG test cannot be performed (leg vascular disease, muscle and bone structure limitation), "Medicated Stress Echocardiography" is performed.
What Should Be Done Before Test?
An average of 4-6 hours of fasting is required for SE. In addition, during this 6-hour period, smoking and caffeine-containing foods or drugs should not be taken. Before this test, some medications that will prevent blood supply disorder in the heart should be stopped 48 hours before. The doctor requesting the test will decide this. It is permissible to swallow the drugs that are allowed to be taken with a small amount of water 3-4 hours before the test.
How is Stress Echocardiography Applied?
Test preparation; It consists of attaching electrodes to the chest and opening the vascular access, if the test is to be performed with medication. Test time is approximately 30-60 minutes. This examination is made by recording from certain points on the chest. Images of the heart are recorded. Depending on the preferred stress method; exercise test or medication is applied. Rather in daily practice, for those without disabilities; A short-term, drug-free, non-vascular effort test is used. Exercise images are taken. The recovery period images are then recorded. Heart rhythm and blood pressure are monitored and ECG records are taken. During the test, rapid and strong heart beat is perceived as palpitations. This situation is normal. During the medicated test; Symptoms such as a feeling of warmth and redness in the cheeks and tingling in the scalp are also normal. During the process; When pain and discomfort is felt in the chest, arm and jaw, dizziness, blackout and shortness of breath, the doctor should be informed immediately. The patient is rested for a while after the procedure. The interpretation of the test is made by comparing the contraction force of the heart in the images taken in different phases. The findings of the stress echocardiographic examination are explained to the patient by the doctor and given immediately in the form of a written report.
Who Can Have Stress Echocardiography Application?
Especially, in his family; It is a highly sensitive test for screening people with risk factors for heart disease or heart disease (smoking, sedentary life, being overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol) for vascular disease. It is a very effective method in determining the conditions of the diseases and directing the treatment of patients who have previously had a heart disease or who have undergone procedures for this reason (stent, bypass surgery, valve surgery, rhythm procedures) or who have been treated with medication. Thus, patients can be evaluated and their treatments can be fully monitored without the need for unnecessary angiography or other advanced examinations. In addition, the evaluation may cause problems; Permanent pacemaker is a good alternative method preferred in the presence of left bundle branch block on ECG, in the presence of some special findings and in the presence of left ventricular thickening or ECG changes in valvular diseases. It is a very effective test in evaluating the preoperative conditions of heart patients (heart failure, stent, bypass, valve patient) due to other reasons.
Who Cannot Apply Stress Echocardiography?
Stress echocardiography; During acute heart attack (the first two days), in the presence of unstable chest pain, uncontrolled heart failure, severe rhythm disorders that cannot be controlled, severe aortic valve stenosis causing symptoms, inflammation of the heart muscle and membrane, clot in the lung vein and It is not done in cases of artery rupture. Apart from these, it is a risk-free scanning method.
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