Your doctor may elect to proceed with stress testing to help define your overall risk of heart disease. This is a very reasonable option. However, if you had a stress test within the past two years and you remain asymptomatic, there is no need to repeat the test until it has been at least two years.

How often should you have a nuclear stress test done?

When you’re at higher risk If you’re at an elevated risk but haven’t been diagnosed with heart disease, had a normal reading on your recent nuclear stress test, and haven’t experienced chest pain or other overt symptoms, you can likely wait two years before repeating the stress test.

How long does cardiolite stay in your system?

Your body will eliminate the Cardiolite after one or two days.

What are the long term side effects of a nuclear stress test?

As with any medical procedure, there is a risk of complications, which may include:

  • Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Arrhythmias that occur during a stress test usually go away shortly after you stop exercising or the medication wears off.
  • Heart attack.
  • Low blood pressure.
  • Dizziness or chest pain.

Should a 92 year old have a stress test?

2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Cardiology. Symptom-free older adults are not typically candidates for a cardiac stress test, while older adults with risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smokers should discuss recommended follow up with their doctor.

What are the side effects of Cardiolite?

Common side effects of Cardiolite include:

  • headache,
  • changes is taste or smell,
  • abdominal discomfort,
  • nausea, and.
  • cardiovascular effects (chest pain, angina)

Is cardiolite safe?

The radiation that is in the Cardiolite® is small and safe. The camera used for the scan does not take x-rays. If you do not have a Cardiolite® stress test, caregivers may not be able to decide what would be the best care for your health condition. Your condition could get worse or you could die.

What is a cardiolite stress test?

Cardiolite is a radioactive tracer that is used to assess the blood flow to your heart muscle as well as the strength of the heart muscle. This information, in combination with your EKG portion of your stress test, will assist your doctor in better determining a course of treatment.

Does nuclear stress test affect kidneys?

The tracer allows the Nuclear camera to take pictures of the blood flow to the heart muscle. There are no side effects from the radioactive tracer. It is not a contrast dye. It does not contain iodine and will not harm your kidneys.

How do you administer Cardiolite before stress test?

Inject with 10 mCi of Cardiolite ® Administer rest injection 60–90 minutes prior to imaging Upon completion of rest imaging and review for quality approval, the patient may be prepared for stress testing. Patient should wait 1–4 hours from injection before proceeding to stress portion

How long does it take to complete a Cardiolite ® imaging?

Using this protocol, you can complete imaging in one day. A low-dose Cardiolite ® rest study is followed by a higher-dose stress study. The higher dose Cardiolite ® in the stress study overcomes the lower dose of the rest study, permitting high-quality gated SPECT imaging. 1,2

What is a Cardiolite scan?

Cardiolite is a radioactive tracer. It contains no iodine for those patients who may be allergic to iodine. The radiation dose that you will receive is comparable to a standard chest x-ray. Female patients must inform the nuclear medicine technologist if pregnancy is known or suspected.

How long should the patient be prepared for stress testing?

Upon completion of rest imaging and review for quality approval, the patient may be prepared for stress testing. Patient should wait 1–4 hours from injection before proceeding to stress portion The rest image represents a true rest perfusion image because the patient has not previously been stressed