How Often Should You Have a Stress Test Done?

A stress test measures cardiac function while you exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike. This standard, noninvasive evaluation shows how well your heart works when it’s pumping harder during physical exertion, making it easier to identify cardiac problems and certain forms of heart disease.

At Sunnyvale Cardiology in Sunnyvale, Texas, our board-certified cardiologists can use stress testing to gain insight into heart health and function in various situations. Here, we explore the ins and outs of this routine evaluation, including when it’s recommended (and how often).

A short tutorial on cardiac stress testing

A stress test — also known as an exercise stress test or stress echocardiogram (ECG) — places sticky patches (electrodes) on your chest, a blood pressure cuff on your arm, and a pulse/blood oxygen monitor on your finger to measure key cardiovascular vitals:

• When you’re sitting at rest, before exercise begins 
• As you start exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike
• Every three minutes during increasingly intense activity
• When you reach your target heart rate (peak intensity)
• After you cool down and your heart rate has recovered

By checking the blood flow in your heart, the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat, the strength and stability of the electrical signals that control your heartbeat, your blood pressure, and your blood oxygen levels at these various stages of rest, activity, and recovery, we can see how well your heart is working — and how it responds to increased demand.  

When a stress test may be recommended

Years ago, it was common for middle-aged adults — especially men — to have “preventive” stress tests as part of their annual physical exam, to ensure their hearts were healthy and working normally. This “just in case” stress testing is no longer recommended as beneficial.

Now, stress testing is used to gain insight into heart function in specific circumstances. At Sunnyvale Cardiology, we use exercise stress tests to:

Evaluate certain symptoms

Most often, stress testing is used to help identify the underlying cause of symptoms that may be related to heart disease, such as shortness of breath, periodic chest pain (angina), a rapid or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), or feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness.

Stress testing can help us diagnose common heart problems like arrhythmias and angina; it can also help us identify conditions like coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure, heart valve diseases, and cardiomyopathy.

Estimate heart disease risk

People without known heart disease or symptoms may undergo stress testing to assess their risk for heart disease and heart attacks if they have a family history of premature heart disease and/or certain conditions that are linked to heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and high cholesterol.

Assess existing heart disease

A stress test can help manage a known heart condition by revealing how serious that condition is, including the likelihood it may cause a heart attack. We can also use it to assess new or worsening heart disease symptoms, inform treatment decisions, and see how well treatment is working.

Clear you for safe exercise

If you have a diagnosed heart condition or you’re at high risk for heart disease, stress testing can show what level of physical exertion is safe for you, providing guided clearance to start an exercise program.

Support cardiac rehabilitation

Stress testing is an integral part of cardiac rehabilitation, or a program that helps you recover and get stronger after cardiac surgery or treatment for a cardiac issue like a heart attack. 

Conducted before rehab begins, an “entrance” stress test helps your providers tailor your exercise rehab program to your level; an “exit” stress test helps measure your progress and shape your post-rehab exercise program.

Follow-up or repeat stress test guidelines

Normal stress test results means your heart has adequate blood flow and is pumping as it should. Next steps depend on your reason for having the stress test in the first place; if it was to investigate symptoms, we may order other evaluations to pinpoint the problem.

If it was to estimate your risk of heart disease, we may advise you to follow up with a stress test in a year, or we may recommend immediate follow-up testing that’s more detailed (i.e., nuclear stress test) if your specific risk factors warrant further investigation.

The same is true for abnormal stress test results — you won’t have another stress test, but we’ll conduct other evaluations to continue our investigation into your cardiac health.

If repeat stress testing is part of your heart disease management plan, your provider will tell you how often you need it. Normal results mean the treatments you’re receiving are working as expected, and you may need fewer periodic stress tests (i.e., yearly); abnormal results may call for more frequent testing (i.e., every few months).

To learn more about stress testing at Sunnyvale Cardiology in Sunnyvale, Texas, give us a call today — or use our easy online scheduler to book an appointment at your convenience.