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STRESS ECHO
What is it
In a TMT, the heart is challenged by increasing the heart rate achieved
by making the patient walk on treadmill. In certain situations when a
patient can't be made to walk, or situations where doing a ECHO may be
more useful than seeing the ECG at the target rate, the heart rate is
increased by infusion of a drug called Dobutamine. Dobutamine stress echocardiography
is a test in which the reaction of the heart is measured under chemically
induced stress, in order to assess the wall motion of the heart muscle.
Dobutamine is one of several medications that cause the heart to react
as if the person is exercising, though the patient is actually at rest.
Why is it done?
It is done for all those patients who can not undergo a routine TMT due
to peripheral vascular disease, osteoarthritis or if they have a specific
ECG pattern, which makes them unsuitable for a TMT (LVH, LBBB, WPW, Digitalis
effect).
How is it done?
The patients must report to lab after 3 hours fasting and should have
withheld certain medication (Beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers
on the day of the test). He is then made to lie comfortably and resting
echocardiogram is done. Subsequently dobutamine infusion is started to
achieve the targeted heart rate while simultaneously viewing heart image
by Echocardiography for any changes suggestive of coronary artery disease.
When it is done/advised ?
It is done, as mentioned earlier, in those patients who can't do
a standard ECG based TMT either due to physical disability, inherent abnormalities
in ECG or where simultaneous ECHO is advisable for gathering additional
information about heart when under stress.
Precautions & prerequisites
The patient must not eat or drink for 4 hours before the appointed time
and should withhold drugs like beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers
( kindly check the names of the drug that you are taking with the doctor)
on the day of the test.
Tariff
Rs. 2,680/-
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