Why Do I Need A Stress Test?

You have an appointment to get a stress test either because you have a job that requires it, such as with the police or the fire department, or you might be having symptoms that are related to your heart.

Symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, pain in your left arm, or pressure under your breast bone, as well as some others, could mean that there is something going on with your heart that a stress test could help us find. Most symptoms start small, but they can get worse quickly.

A stress test can tell us if the blood vessels bringing blood to your heart are becoming blocked, which is a sign of coronary artery disease and could possibly lead to a heart attack if not found and treated. It could also show that your heart is not the cause of your symptoms so that your doctor can look for other causes.

The good news is that if we do find something, and we catch it early, there’s a very good chance that we can either treat it over the long run with medication or suggest a procedure that could help.