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NC Iowa | Because of family history, I had a nuclear stress test last summer. Everything checked out good, so I am not so concerned about heart issues now.
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You will exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle until you reach your target heart rate (or, if you cannot exercise hard enough, you will receive a medication that mimics exercise by making your heart beater faster and harder). Your target heart rate is generally determined by your age.
Then, a minute or two before you stop exercising, you will receive an injection of a radioactive tracer. You will then lie on the scanner table, keeping very still. During the scan, a large camera rotates around your body, detecting how much radiotracer has reached each area of your heart and creating images that show blood flow. Areas of the heart with good blood flow will have more radioactive tracer than areas with poor blood flow.
A computer analyzes all the data and creates color-coded images of the heart. By comparing the images taken at rest with those taken immediately after “stress,” your cardiologist can tell which areas of the heart are not getting enough blood and oxygen. This helps to identify which arteries may be narrowed with cholesterol plaque. The scan will also show any areas of the heart that have been permanently damaged by a heart attack. | |
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Triple bypass
