Nuclear Medicine Stress Test

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Nuclear Medicine Stress Test

Question:

I'm scheduled for a nuclear medicine stress test with persantine. I've been told I will not be on a treadmill. Instead, I will be given an injection to cause my body to go into stress, as if I were on a treadmill. Why would the doctors go this route? How risky is it?

Answer:

Persantine and some other drugs are used during stress tests for patients who are not likely to be able to push themselves on a treadmill enough so that their heart gets a real workout.

For example, many people with severe arthritis or back pain can't walk or jog enough for the test to detect if they have inadequate blood supply to the heart's muscles. Drugs like Persantine and dobutamine increase the work of the heart. They reveal areas of the heart that are not getting enough blood flow. This usually means there are blockages in the coronary arteries supplying those areas.

The drugs do carry some risks; after all, they are being used to stress the heart. On the other hand, doctors and nurses are right there, and you would be hooked up to equipment that would help detect any heart problems very quickly. Plus, antidotes to the drugs' effects are near at hand. So the risk is quite small.

Usually, doctors order these tests because the benefit of learning more about the patient's condition outweighs the small risks involved.

If you think you CAN walk on a treadmill, and even jog, ask your doctor why you can't have a regular exercise test.

Thomas Lee, M.D., is the chief executive officer for Partners Community HealthCare Inc. He is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an internist and cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Lee is the chairman of the Cardiovascular Measurement Assessment Panel of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Last updated:	July 20, 2009